The Denver Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero’s plan, known as Denver Schools Thrive, to close or restructure ten schools at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. The plan created to address declining enrollment was presented to the Board on Nov. 7, 2024.
Elementary School Closures
- Columbian Elementary
- Castro Elementary
- Schmitt Elementary
- International Academy of Denver at Harrington
- Palmer Elementary
Secondary School Closures
- West Middle School
- Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design
Grade Level Restructures
- Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy becomes 6th-12th grades only (remove 1st-5th grades)
- Dora Moore becomes ECE-5th grade only (remove 6th-8th grades)
- DCIS Baker 6th-12th grades becomes DCIS Baker Middle School 6th-8th grade (remove 9th-12th grades)
“The decision that was made tonight was difficult for everyone involved, students, families, school staff and each and every member of the Board,” said DPS Board of Education President Dr. Carrie A. Olson. “During this process, we heard from our DPS community and took their comments into consideration as we made our decision. As the Board of Education for Colorado’s largest school district, we have a duty to not just all of the students and staff members, but the Denver community as a whole, to ensure the district stays financially viable, not just now, but into the future as well. That means hard decisions needed to be made and it was our duty to do so.”
The DPS SchoolChoice team will engage with the impacted families to assist in getting them enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year. These students will be provided with priority status during the SchoolChoice process that begins in January 2025.
Students who reside in existing and newly created enrollment zones and attend a school within that enrollment zone or boundary school are eligible for round-trip service on school buses. Transportation will be provided for elementary (K-5) students who live more than 1 mile away from the school they attend and middle school (6-8) students who live more than 2.5 miles away from the school they attend.
To support our staff throughout this process, DPS will uphold our collective bargaining agreements to ensure we support and retain our outstanding educators. Support for affected staff will be provided by Human Resources including access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), resume writing assistance, and interview training.
Denver Public Schools plans to retain the buildings for community use. In the near future, community meetings will be held to determine how the buildings will be used. Five of the buildings, DSISD, West Middle School, Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy, Dora Moore ECE-8 School, and DCIS Baker will continue to have schools in them.
