Denver Public Schools has a unique opportunity to increase the quality of service we provide to students and communities by effectively responding to declining enrollment conditions. DPS enrollment is forecasted to continue declining, caused mostly by lowering birth rates and housing development trends. By 2028, Denver is expected to lose an additional 6,338 school-aged children (8.3% of our 2023 total). By deepening our understanding of these trends and the impacts they have on Denver schools and communities, we will chart a path to a more robust school ecosystem that furthers DPS’ commitment to ensuring every learner thrives.

Declining enrollment has myriad impacts that make it more challenging to meet DPS’ commitment to our community spanning program, finances, support services, and more. Conversely, the impact of addressing declining enrollment with meaningful action through school consolidations would be positive for both DPS and the communities we serve. The mitigation of these impacts would provide a catalyst for elevating the quality and consistency of our offerings.  Specifically, right-sizing DPS - and creating robustly enrolled schools in the process - would do the following:

• Improve Student Experience

  • More special programming, like Art, PE, Technology, Music, and Foreign language, is available to all students

  • Improved opportunities for mental health staffing

  • Fewer combined grade levels, leading to instruction for all students targeted to their specific grade level context

  • Fewer staffing vacancies, as roles like special education and Specialized Service Providers have fewer campuses to cover city wide

• Improve Staff Experience

  • Multiple classes in each elementary grade: teachers have the opportunity to collaborate with partner teacher in their own grade level and/or content area

  • More robust support from school and district leadership, with more opportunities for feedback, observation, and coaching

• Improve Organizational Supports

  • More funding directly in the classroom at all schools

  • Relieving pressure on operational services. Teams like Transportation, Facilities, Food Services, and Safety have greater opportunity to focus their efforts and improve median level of service

Denver Public Schools has previously operated successfully as a district with fewer students, and by taking the right next steps, will do so again.

The Board of Education is currently considering whether to adopt EL-18, which would direct the Superintendent to make recommendations about school consolidations this fall. If adopted, DPS will begin planning a robust process to implement the Board’s directive.

In the spring of 2023, DPS collaborated with an external provider, Marzano Research, to engage school communities most impacted by declining enrollment, along with additional engagement throughout our regional communities. The goal was to develop a shared understanding about the most impactful way to move forward with addressing our low student numbers and limited resources. Schools that were most impacted by enrollment declines were working with Marzano Research to identify potential community-informed solutions that consider both individual school needs and the broader community context. Marzano Research completed this research by fall of 2023. You can review the findings as well as the appendices.

Please review the below frequently asked questions. If you still have an inquiry, email FACE@dpsk12.org or call 720-423-3054.