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We are excited to announce a new, more streamlined way for families to check their student’s bus route information. 

The PSD Busing Portal allows bus elligable families to: 

• View their student’s most recently published bus route, stop location and stop time. 

• Submit a new transportation request. 

• Update an existing transportation request. 

Families with ParentVUE should access the portal using their ParentVUE account. Early childhood families and others without ParentVUE request email notification of their student using the email address on file. 

Because routes and stop times may change, notification of route changes are sent weekly to check the portal. Families can also check the portal for the most current published information.  

Questions or need assistance? Email busrequest@psdschools.org. 

As Poudre School District explores potential changes to our schools, including school closure and consolidation, I wanted to reach out directly to share our thinking and why taking action now is critical for our students. 

There are fewer school-age children in our community than our schools were built to serve, and that trend is expected to continue. This is not a challenge unique to PSD, and it is not the result of families leaving us for other educational options. It is a demographic shift underway across Colorado and the country. But it is our responsibility to respond to it, and to do so in a way that protects what matters most for students.

At last night's Board of Education meeting, I spoke about where we are and what comes next. You can watch those remarks here:

• Superintendent Kingsley’s Board Meeting Report
• Superintendent Kingsley’s comments on the path forward

At the Board's request, we have worked to define our “why” as clearly and simply as we can. Here it is:

• There are fewer children in our community because families are having fewer kids, and our region does not have enough affordable housing.
   
• There are roughly 10,000 empty seats across the district, and they are unequally distributed.
   
• Small schools cost more to operate. Every school needs a principal, a nurse, a librarian, child nutrition staff, and core teachers whether 200 or 500 students walk in the door. That is why our smallest schools cost about $19,000 per student, compared with about $6,500 at our fullest schools, and why PSD invests an extra eight million dollars a year to keep basic services at small schools.
   
• Fewer, fuller schools are more vibrant schools. PSD will be able to sustain a full counseling team, keep class sizes steady, and offer a richer slate of art, music, PE, and gifted and talented programming. Every student gets that same access, no matter which school they attend.
   
• Waiting to act will make this harder, not easier. PSD is projected to serve about 2,500 fewer students by 2031, roughly ten percent of today's enrollment. Declines in enrollment mean declines in funding. As a result of diminishing budgets, the district is already reducing staff positions at a high rate. Additionally, we have more part-time staff who work without benefits or whose work is split across multiple school sites. Our staff are constantly being pulled in more directions and we are asking them to do more with less.
   
• Districts across Colorado and the country are facing the same challenges and have closed or are considering closing schools, including JeffCo, Denver, Boulder Valley, Douglas County, Adams 12, and Thompson School Districts.
   
• This work in PSD has been shaped by our community. Parents and guardians, principals, teachers, employee association representatives and community members volunteer on the Comprehensive Planning Committee and have spent sixteen months studying this challenge together.

If you’d like to learn more about the data that is informing this work, I invite you to join one of the upcoming PSD Comprehensive Planning by the Numbers community engagement sessions to be held on: 

• September 14, 2026 from 6-7:30pm at Fort Collins High School, Auditorium, 3400 Lambkin Way, Fort Collins, CO 80525
   
• September 15, 2026 from 6:-7:30pm at Rocky Mountain High School, Auditorium, 1300 W Swallow Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526

I want to emphasize that no decisions about specific schools have been made. The Comprehensive Planning Committee is working through the criteria that would guide any recommendation about school closure or consolidation. A recommendation is expected to come to the Board of Education in October. The Board makes the final decision, and any changes would take effect for the 2027-28 school year.

I know what these words mean to a family whose child loves their school, and to staff who have built something real inside those buildings. I do not take that lightly. My commitment remains that we will share what we know when we know it, that we will keep asking for your input, and that every decision will be measured against one question: what gives our students the strongest possible education.

You can find detailed information, including our full explanation of enrollment trends and frequently asked questions, at psdschools.org/long-range-planning.

While what we face now is challenging, I am optimistic about our future because I believe deeply in the power of the PSD community to come together to do hard things in service of all students and for the betterment of the entire district. 

With appreciation,

Brian Kingsley
Superintendent
Poudre School District

Dear PSD students, staff and families,

There is nothing quite like the beginning of a new school year. Walking into our buildings over the first several days of school, I have seen students finding their classrooms, teachers learning names, bus drivers and food service staff greeting kids they have not seen since last spring. It is a good feeling, and I want to start by saying welcome back. We are glad you are here.

I also want to acknowledge that this start has come with challenges. Three early releases due to extreme heat in the first weeks of school is not how any of us would draw it up, and we know it created real difficulty for families arranging care and transportation on short notice. Thank you for your flexibility, and thank you to our staff who adjusted alongside you.

I also want you to know that we are actively working on long-term solutions to address the heat. Funding from the 2024 Debt-Free Mill Levy is helping us to complete capital improvements across the district. Among the capital improvements underway is the installation of air conditioning in buildings that do not have it. Air conditioning was installed at two schools during Summer 2025 and the first phase of installation was completed at two additional schools this summer. With more than thirty schools still needing air conditioning and only about ten weeks each summer to do the work, fully air conditioning all PSD buildings will take several years. In the meantime, we will also continue exploring options for starting and ending the year later for elementary and middle schools. You can find our full heat protocol at psdschools.org.

Now to the part I have been looking forward to sharing.

This spring, PSD students outperformed Colorado state averages in every subject and every grade level tested for the fifth consecutive year. On CMAS, our students exceeded state averages by twelve to twenty-five percentage points in English language arts, math, science and social studies. On the PSAT and SAT, they met college and career readiness benchmarks at rates fifteen to nineteen points above the state.

What I find most meaningful is the growth. Nineteen PSD elementary schools posted above-typical growth in both reading and math. Our multilingual learners made some of the year's strongest gains, with reading growth climbing eight points districtwide to surpass the state average. Students of color have increased their percentage meeting or exceeding expectations for three consecutive years in both CMAS and PSAT/SAT reading and math, and their growth now outpaces the state in every one of those areas.

I want to emphasize what those numbers actually represent. They are thousands of students showing up every day, and the educators who know them by name and how to accelerate their learning. Test scores are one measure among many and they do not capture everything that makes a PSD classroom special. But results like these do not happen by accident. They happen because of people — teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, custodians, administrative staff, bus drivers, food service teams and families who show up for kids. PSD is an excellent district because of every member of this community.

I also want to be transparent about the year ahead. Our long-range planning work continues, and in the coming months we will bring forward recommendations about how we use our school buildings. Those conversations will be difficult. We are committed to sharing information with you directly and early as we explore possible changes. You can expect to hear more about possible changes in the weeks ahead. 

Today, though, my focus is on what I saw walking through our schools this week. Engaged students. Skilled teachers. Buildings full of energy and possibility. With a new school year, we are at the beginning of something great, and we get to build it together.

It is an honor to serve this district and this community. My commitment remains making sure every student has the resources, relationships, and skills they need to reach their full potential — because that is what it means to educate every child, every day.

Here is to a great year.

With appreciation,

Brian Kingsley
Superintendent
Poudre School District

Poudre School District students outperformed Colorado state averages in every subject and every grade level tested this spring — a result PSD has now sustained for five consecutive years.

On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), PSD students exceeded state averages by 12 to 25 percentage points in English language arts, math, science and social studies. On the PSAT and SAT, PSD students met college and career readiness benchmarks at rates 15 to 19 percentage points above the state.

The clearest example: in 11th grade science, half of PSD students met or exceeded expectations — double the state rate of 25 percent. PSD's science results climbed while the state's were flat.

Achievement scores show where students are. Growth scores show how far they traveled to get there — and PSD's elementary growth was strong. Fourth and fifth graders posted median growth percentiles above the state's typical mark of 50 in both reading and math, with fourth grade reading reaching a 57.

That strength wasn't concentrated in a few schools. Nineteen PSD elementary schools posted above-typical growth in both reading and math! 

Fourth graders also improved in both reading and math over last year, and Riffenburgh Elementary and Boltz Middle School have now increased their percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations in both subjects four years running. Laurel Elementary and Lesher Middle School have done it three years running.

More than eight in ten PSD students met the college readiness benchmark in reading and writing on the PSAT 9, PSAT 10 and SAT. In math, PSD's 10th grade average score rose again this year. 

Students of color have increased their percentage meeting or exceeding expectations for three consecutive years in both CMAS reading and math, and in both PSAT/SAT reading and math — and their growth now outpaces the state in every one of those areas.

PSD's multilingual learners made some of the year's most notable growth gains, with reading growth climbing eight points districtwide to surpass the state average. Supporting these students, along with students from families experiencing economic hardship, has been a sustained district priority for years, and that work continues. Strong growth is a signal the approach is working. Continued focus is how it turns into every student graduating with options.

"I want to emphasize what these numbers actually represent: thousands of students showing up every day, and educators who know them, meeting them exactly where they are," said PSD Superintendent Brian Kingsley. "Test scores are one measure among many, and they don't capture everything that makes a PSD classroom special. But when our students outperform the state in every grade and every subject — five years in a row — that tells you something real about the quality of education here. My commitment remains making sure that excellence reaches every single student."

Results like these are the product of the people in our buildings — teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, bus drivers, food service staff, and families who show up for kids every day. PSD is grateful to all of them, and proud of the thousands of students who give it their all.

Families exploring school options for their students can learn more about PSD's schools, programs, and enrollment process — and see why so many families Choose PSD —  at psdschools.org.

>> PSD Student Outcomes and Data