PSD Comprehensive Planning Family FAQ

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on October 27, 2026. 

The changes will go into effect for the 2027-28 school year.

No, this is not a reflection of the quality of teaching or learning at any school being considered. PSD schools are strong, and the educators and families in them have built school communities worth being proud of. The challenge is that there are fewer school-age children living in our community, and enrollment determines the staffing and programming a school can sustain. Schools were identified using the criteria established in Board Policies FCB and FCB-R. These policies specify building utilization, enrollment, and building condition as primary criteria to be considered. Please see the policies for more information. These policies were built over three Comprehensive Planning Committee meetings with legal and policy counsel, drawing on active policies from Douglas County and Thompson School Districts, and refined through community feedback.

Yes, the PSD Climate and Culture Action Team created this document to support schools in caring for current communities while preparing thoughtfully for future transitions. It is intended for principals, staff, families, community members, and district leaders.

Larger school enrollments do not necessarily mean larger class sizes. What they provide are more students per grade level, which give us flexibility to balance classes across more teachers. In a school with only one or two classes per grade, even a small enrollment change can push a single classroom well above target. Combining schools is intended to move toward more consistent and stable class sizes.

If your student attends a school proposed for closure, your address will be assigned to a new attendance area.

On or before the opening of the School Choice application period, which will occur between November 2 and November 6, 2026, you will be able to log into ParentVUE to see the next school assigned for your student. 

If your student’s neighborhood school is changing, they will automatically be registered at their new neighborhood school. If your student resides in the district and is attending a closing school via School Choice, they will automatically be assigned to their neighborhood school. If you would like them to attend a school other than their neighborhood school, you will need to complete a new School Choice application for them to apply for a seat. If you are a staff member whose child attends a closing school, please complete the process outlined in Policy GE.

Possibly. As schools combine, bus routes will be rebuilt, and bell schedules are set around those routes and required instructional minutes. This could affect start and end times at schools across the district, not only those directly involved. We will announce bell schedules and route information as soon as it is available.  

Yes, as long as they live within the attendance boundary for the school and outside of the walk zone and requested busing. 

No, PSD requires all students who plan to ride the school bus to register for the bus annually. Students will be eligible to apply for busing at the new school, if their address is located outside of the new schools' walk boundary. The walk boundary distances by level are as follows: elementary school - 1 mile; middle school - 1.5 miles, high school - 2 miles. This means that students residing more than 1, 1.5 or 2 miles away from their new school, based on their school level, will be bus eligible. 

Yes. PSD requires all students who plan to ride the school bus to register for the bus annually. The bus registration window opens in the beginning of May and closes mid-July each year. Exact dates will be shared with the community as soon as the registration portal opens.

Yes, if your student has a transportation clause in their IEP, they will receive transportation services. 

Yes, we do anticipate having enough drivers to cover the routes needed for the new attendance areas.

Routes will be planned using the most efficient options identified through route analysis. Some rides would be longer and some would be shorter, depending on where a stop falls in a route.

Yes. Stop times and locations may change as routes are reconfigured. When routes are published in early August, please check your student’s most recently published route, stop location, and stop time in the PSD Busing Portal at busrequest.psdschools.org.  

Under Colorado law, the Board of Education is not required to provide transportation. Students with a transportation provision in their IEP and students eligible under the McKinney-Vento program have specific transportation rights. 
 

We work with our municipal partners to make safety enhancements around schools, such as paths, sidewalks, crosswalks, school zone flashing lights, pedestrian activated rapid flashing beacons, traffic signal timing, etc.
 

Yes.

Where needed, there will be crossing guards. 
 

We recognize that a new campus may bring changes to traffic patterns, particularly during arrival and dismissal. We have traffic flow plans for each campus and will continue to work with school principals and our partner municipalities to monitor traffic and identify opportunities for adjustments as needed. We also encourage families to consider sustainable transportation options, including riding the city bus, walking, biking, carpooling, or using a park-and-walk option by parking a little farther from school and enjoying a short walk to start the day. 
 

• A student’s IEP remains in effect regardless of the school they attend. All services, accommodations, modifications, and supports identified in the IEP will continue. 
   
• Related services (speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, etc.) will continue without interruption. 
   
• Transportation, if required by the IEP, will continue. Receiving schools will receive detailed transition information so students are known, understood, and supported from day one. 
   
• Teams will collaborate before the transition to ensure a smooth handoff. 
   
• Whenever possible, we will thoughtfully consider staff assignments to provide continuity for students. 

Yes. Students who receive Gifted & Talented services will continue to receive these services. 

While it is possible that the same clubs/activities will be offered, there may be some differences from school to school.

The programming at receiving schools is not changing, which means that the programming may be different than that available at your students’ current school. More information about programming options districtwide is available on the Choose PSD webpage.

Yes, the PSD Climate and Culture Action Team created this document to support schools in caring for current communities while preparing thoughtfully for future transitions. It is intended for principals, staff, families, community members, and district leaders.

• PSD’s Mental Health team is always available to support students as are counselors and other staff. For mental health support services, you can contact the front office of your school and ask to be connected to a member of your school’s mental health SSP team (Counselor, Mental Health Specialist, Psychologist or Social Worker).

Community-based mental health resources are also available below for those who may find them helpful:

• Longview Behavioral Health Urgent Care, 2260 W. Trilby Road in Fort Collins: 970-494-4200
• I Matter Colorado (up to six free, virtual counseling sessions): imattercolorado.org or yoimportocolorado.org (la versión en Español)
• Child, Adolescent and Young Adult Connections (CAYAC): 970-221-3308 - CAYAC empowers families to navigate behavioral health services for children, adolescents, and young adults across Larimer County.
• Health Info Source - https://healthinfosource.com/ - Source for Your source for mental health resources and information for Larimer County, Colorado.
• Connections – Adult Services: 970-221-5551
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 24/7 free, confidential support. Call or text 988 to reach a trained counselor. Help in Spanish: www.988lifeline.org/es/inicio/ 

Additionally, the Climate and Culture Action Team created this document to support schools in caring for current communities while preparing thoughtfully for future transitions. It is intended for principals, staff, families, community members, and district leaders.

Yes. Family liaisons are available to support this transition. Please connect with your family liaison for support.

Early Childhood classroom placements will be determined once the Board of Education has taken action on the recommendation put forward by the CPC. 

The district will work with AlphaBEST to determine whether additional before and after school care will be provided at receiving schools, if they do not already have AlphaBEST programming on site.

The majority of savings will be redistributed to the receiving schools. There will also be savings from small school subsidies and other central support previously provided for the closing schools. These savings may be used to support the transition to a new school ecosystem in PSD and to offset anticipated and known reductions in state funding. 

For questions specific to your student, please call 970-490-3005 or email info@psdschools.org.