This page is a summary of historical ways DPS has worked to address the impacts of declining enrollment in the district. For the most recent information regarding the Denver Schools Thrive Initiative or declining enrollment, visit this page.

Denver Public Schools is committed to a community engagement process to determine possible uses for closed buildings in the school year 2026-27 and beyond.  This commitment was made through the Denver Schools Thrive Initiative (DSTI).

The Facility Utilization Survey closed on February 14. It was intended for the school communities directly impacted by the recent school closures mandated by Executive Limitation 18.  Responses were anonymous and confidential.  The collected responses were viewed and shared in combination with all other responses.

Thank you for your input. If you have any questions, please contact facehelpline@dpsk12.net.

What is Executive Limitation 18?

Executive Limitation 18, or EL 18, provides guardrails on how the Superintendent approaches the process to address declining enrollment.

Why is it Necessary to Address Declining Enrollment?

Due to limited resources at schools impacted by low enrollment, not every student has access to the same opportunities. Addressing this challenge ensures that every student thrives, every teacher and leader is supported and our resources are used to create better opportunities for all of Denver’s students.

What was the Purpose of Regional Educational Engagement?

DPS is committed to serving students and communities equitably and empathically in this process. During September and October, DPS hosted six regional meetings to discuss enrollment trends and engage in learning about declining enrollment with Denver communities.

What Happened After the Regional Educational Engagement Sessions ?

On Nov. 7, the Superintendent provided recommendations to the Board of Education. Following that, there was an opportunity for engagement with the Board and the Superintendent, which lead into Public Comment on Nov. 18. On Nov. 22, the Board of Education voted to unanimously approve on the recommendation.

Prior to the Board’s decision, the Transition Team and Superintendent Marrero held an engagement meeting at each school to share information about why your school was part of the recommendation, how this impacts your community and what support you can expect from the district. The Transition Team is made up of staff members from Academics, the Office of Talent, Choice & Enrollment, Family & Community Engagement (FACE), the Employee Assistance Program, Transportation, Multilingual Education and Special Education.

Each meeting was held at the respective school and was limited to only that school’s families and staff. Childcare and interpretation services were provided.

Agenda for Each Meeting

• Presentation: Each meeting began with a 20-minute opening presentation explaining why your school was included as part of the recommendation and included a high-level explanation of how this impacts families and staff.

• Break-out groups: Each meeting opened into two break-out groups following the opening presentation to dig deeper into how families and staff are impacted. More information also was shared on what support you can expect from the district.

  • Family break-out groups: Families heard from team members from Choice & Enrollment, Transportation, FACE, and Academics, including Special Education and Multilingual Education. 

  • Staff break-out groups: Staff heard from team members from the Office of Talent, the Employee Assistance Program and FACE. (Staff members who are also family members of students were able to join either break-out group.)

• Resource Tables: Following the breakout sessions, families and staff were able to visit any of the resource tables to ask questions and learn more about support the district offers.

If you were unable to attend the engagement meeting at your school, please read your toolkit for specific information about what this means for you as a family or staff member. The Family and Student toolkits are available on each school’s Denver School Thrives webpage and have been translated into the languages spoken at the school. To read the toolkit in your language, click the name of your language, which is linked at the top of the document.

On November 18th, the DPS Board of Education will provide time for public comment regarding Charter Renewals, Denver School Thrives Initiative, and Regular Monthly Public Comment.

The Denver School Thrives Initiative portion of the public comment session is dedicated exclusively to schools that have been recommended for closure. There will be no time limit regarding the Denver Schools Thrive Initiative. Only those students, staff, families, and the community who did not have the opportunity to speak at the school public comment sessions will be permitted to speak and may sign up online. Sign-up is available online at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, November 11th, and will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 15th.

For all three public comment sessions, those who are signed up will have three minutes to address the board. Individuals may sign up only once to address the board. Substitutes are not allowed, and no one is allowed to read comments on behalf of others. Only the person who signed up to speak may address the board. A finalized list of speakers, for each topic, will be posted to the Public Comment agenda the day of the Public Comment Meeting under their respective topics. Please check there to see if your name is on the list to speak. If your name is on the list you will also receive an email the day of Public Comment with logistical details.

Interpretations and childcare will be provided at the Emily Griffith Campus.

During the week of Nov. 11-15, the DPS Board of Education will hold one special public comment session dedicated exclusively to each of the schools that have been recommended for closure.

• Morning engagements during drop off at recommended schools: For families of students.

• Midday engagements at recommended schools: For staff and school leaders.

• Afternoon engagements at recommended schools: For staff, families and community members.

• Special Public Comment at recommended schools: Evening meetings for individuals who are part of the recommended school’s community. To see school individual scheduled public comment, please visit board.dpsk12.org.

The purpose of these school-specific special public comment sessions is for the school’s students, staff, families, and community to inform the Board of their views on the recommendation. 

These special public comment sessions will be in person only at the schools that are under consideration, and will be limited to only the school's students, staff, and families. There will be no virtual option. The board will not engage in dialogue with the community during these sessions but will be available for conversations before and after the meeting.

Special public comment will be limited to one hour per school. Those who are signed up will have two minutes to address the Board. Only the person who signed up to speak may address the board. Substitutes are not allowed, and no one is allowed to read comments on behalf of others. Topics will be limited to the school under consideration. 

Anyone wishing to address the board will need to sign up in person. Sign-up will be available at the individual school at 3 p.m. the day of the scheduled meeting and will be available until the maximum time of one hour has been reached. There will not be an online sign-up form available. 

Regular public comment will be held on Monday, Nov. 18 at the Emily Griffith Campus for students, staff, families and community members who do not have the opportunity to speak at the school-specific public comment sessions.

View the Regional Engagement Presentation Materials, notes from the Regional Engagement Sessions, or a summary of feedback from the regional meetings.

We encourage community members to stay involved by:

• Attend Meetings: Participation in upcoming meetings and events.

• Provide Feedback: Sharing thoughts and concerns through our various feedback channels.

Support Each Other: Working together as a community to support our students, families, and staff during this time of change.

Executive Limitation 18, or EL 18, provides guardrails on how the Superintendent approaches the process to address declining enrollment.

View the Executive Limitation 18 Proposal here.

DPS held three community meetings to discuss Executive Limitation 18. These sessions were recorded and can be watched below. The presentation from these sessions is linked here.

The Strategic Regional Analysis can be viewed here.

The Strategic Regional Analysis, or SRA, is a document compiled annually by the Planning & Analysis team at DPS. It presents information about enrollment trends, both aggregate and by region, and the underlying dynamics contributing to and impacted by them.

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.