Hundreds of students across Denver will have to move to new schools next year as Denver Public Schools closes low-enrollment schools.
The Denver School Board voted unanimously Thursday to close seven schools. Board members said it was a necessary step to get ahead of declining enrollment trends, but parents protested, saying it would be a major impact on their lives and children.
The schools that will close are:
- Columbian Elementary School
- Castro Elementary School
- Schmitt Elementary School
- International Academy of Denver at Harrington
- Palmer Elementary School
- West Middle School
- Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design
Some of the schools that will close are home to some of the most diverse student bodies in the city. Of the seven schools identified for closure, five of them had a majority Hispanic student population.
One school, Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design, caters to students who have sought out non-traditional education for students who have struggled with traditional structures.
Superintendent Alex Marrero also identified three schools that will be restructured, losing some of their grade levels. Because these are partial school closures, they did not require a board vote. The restructurings are:
- Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy will lose its 1st through 5th grade classes, keeping only 6th through 12th grades
- Dora Moore ECE-8 School will lose its 6th through 8th grade classes
- DCIS Baker 6-12 will lose its high school classes
The closures and restructurings will happen at the end of the current school year.
Board members were visibly emotional during the vote
The school board voted 7-0 to shutter the schools recommended for closure.
Before the vote, board members universally spoke about the difficulty of the decision before them.
“I need to acknowledge that this is an impossible hard decision,” at-large board member Scott Esserman said. “It’s hard to me because I care.”
At times, board members paused in between words to compose themselves as they acknowledged the pain and frustration experienced by families impacted by the closures.
Still, the hard decision was unanimous — all schools identified for closure would indeed close next fall. In their pre-vote comments, board members said they have a fiduciary duty to the district, and that the closures are necessary to ensure a quality education across the city.
“In order to make these things happen, we need to work together and have the financial means available,” District 1 board member Kimberlee Sia said.
After the vote, a group of activists with Movimiento Poder, which advocates on behalf of families in southwest Denver, interrupted the meeting to denounce the board.
“Shame on you,” they yelled, before being kicked out by security.
Why are there school closures?
Denver school officials are attempting to get ahead of declining enrollment trends.
Across the district, enrollment is trending downward over the years. While enrollment ticked upward this year as immigrant students arrived, many schools are operating well below capacity. Elementary schools are only using 69 percent of their capacity on average, according to district data.
Schools identified by the closures have some of the lowest enrollments across the district. The smallest school on the list, Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design, enrolled just 60 high school students during the 2024-2025 school year.
Enrollment is expected to get worse in the coming years, with the district blaming declining birth rates and families leaving Denver due to high costs of living. DPS officials say operating schools with low enrollment comes at a high cost — at those schools, the district pays significantly more dollars per student.
The district said it would save $30 million from the closures and restructures, of which $24 million would be immediately reinvested at other schools.
Where will affected students and staff go?
The district said 1,100 families would be impacted if the superintendent’s full list of recommended school closures were enacted.
The district said that all students at closing schools will get an automatic spot at a school in the enrollment zone where they live.
The proposal includes changes to the district's existing enrollment zone map. It would create several new enrollment zones, while keeping some zones the same. Parents with several schools in their proposed new zone will have to identify their preferred school during the SchoolChoice process in January.
Some families could choose to leave DPS entirely. Anne Konosky, a parent at DCIS Baker, which is losing its high school classes, said they're considering paying for private school for their sophomore daughter.
"She won't be getting the programming that she wants, " Konosky said.
Her daughter, Julien Konosky, said having to move schools as a junior in high school is a scary idea.
"Being almost done with your high school life, or halfway at least, it's kind of difficult to keep on going without the [first two years] to reboot," Julien Konosky said.
Staff members impacted by the proposed closures would follow hiring processes outlined in their collective bargaining agreements. Rob Gould, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, said they expect 200 educators to be impacted by the closures. The union expects to negotiate with the district about how to best move forward with those at-risk positions.
