Why is PSD considering closing or consolidating schools?

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