Denver - At the Denver Public Schools Board of Education work session on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero presented the following list of ten schools recommended for closure at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

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 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 MS 6th-8th grade (remove 9th-12th grades)

The Board of Education will visit schools recommended for closure the week of Nov. 11 - Nov. 15, and Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero will visit schools recommended for closure the week of Nov. 18 - Nov. 21. The list of family engagement meetings will be posted on Friday, Nov. 8, on this webpage.

Additionally, the scheduled Board of Education work session on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, will have time dedicated to anyone who would like to share their thoughts about the schools that have been listed as a part of the Denver Schools Thrive consolidation process. To allow everyone the opportunity to share their thoughts with the Board and Superintendent, the special public comment session will be limited to people who have not already spoken about this topic in front of the Board or Superintendent during one of the earlier sessions.

All students at the closing school will be automatically enrolled in the identified receiving school. If the consolidation plan involves an enrollment zone rather than a single school, parents will need to identify their preferred school. Parents will have the option to utilize the SchoolChoice process in January 2025, and will be given priority to enroll their students into another DPS school. 

Staff members at all of the schools on the list will follow the hiring process that is outlined in their collective bargaining agreements. 

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the list of schools at their meeting on Nov. 21, 2024.

-DPS-