leaders are preparing for the possibility of adding new schools — as many as seven — for the first time since the 2018-19 academic year.
Colorado’s largest district, which has been downsizing in the face of falling K-12 enrollment, will issue a “Call for Quality Schools” in December for applications from potential operators — and this year, unlike the past seven years, DPS will actually have a need for new schools, according to a given to the Board of Education on Thursday evening.
District officials want to open a new school in 2027 in the Gateway neighborhood in Green Valley Ranch, where enrollment is growing. But DPS’s most significant need for applications comes via Superintendent Alex Marrero’s plan to potentially close schools for poor academic performance and restart them with new operators.
At least five low-performing Denver schools could close if their test scores don't improve this year and, if that happens, DPS administrators will consider replacing them with new schools in the fall of 2027. Those new schools could be district-run, or charter or innovation schools
Those schools are , , and and elementaries.A sixth school, , could potentially close if students' performance backslides after earning good marks from the state this year.
"We are prepared to engage in these tough conversations, but we are not desiring to make these decisions," Marrero said, adding that district leaders hope the academic performance at all five schools improves.
Marrero announced his new School Transformation Process policy earlier this year, which DPS leaders will use in an effort to turn around low-performing schools that are on Colorado's before the state Board of Education intervenes.
The policy harkens back to DPS's reform years, when district leaders used measures such as restructuring school operations, creating new schools or closing buildings entirely to improve test scores.
Under the policy, low-performing schools can also face changes to their programming, staff and even the number of grades they offer.
Marrero's policy significantly differs from previous administrations in that the district has asked charter schools to give up their right to appeal closures to the state Board of Education. If they agree, then charter schools could be among those to close and reopen under the School Transformation Process.
Students, parents and other community members have long criticized previous administrations for closing and restarting schools, saying that such policies displaced students of color. It's unknown whether the school board would approve such decisions under Marrero's policy, as several current members and candidates in next week's election have said they won't close schools for poor test scores.
"These ratings don’t always reflect whatap happening in the schools, which is why we cannot always solely rely on the data because it doesn’t tell a complete story," board member Michelle Quattlebaum said during the meeting.
DPS's "Call for Quality Schools" comes as the district has closed schools because of falling enrollment, something that's being seen statewide and across the nation.
Enrollment hasdeclined in recent years due to falling birth rates, but gentrification and rising housing prices are also prompting families to moveinto new neighborhoods. As a result, metro districts are simultaneously closing schools in neighborhoods where fewer children live and building them in areas seeing growth -- which is why DPS wants to build a school in the Gateway neighborhood.
Declining enrollment is hitting school districts' pocketbooks as they receive less funding when there are fewer children in their classrooms.
DPS lost 1,200 students this year -- 800 more than expected -- as fewer immigrant children are attending the city's schools, a change that Marrero says is the result of the Trump administration's mass deportations. The superintendent has called the unexpected enrollment drop and threats to federal funding a potential financial "catastrophe" that could lead to more school closures and job cuts.
DPS enrolled 90,450 students last year.
District administrators won't recommend a school be "reimagined" -- closed and restarted -- until the 2026-27 academic year. If a school is recommended to be replaced with a new provider, and the board approves the plan, then the new school would open in the fall of 2027.
DPS leaders can decide to replace the schools that close with another district-run school, or they could turn them into charter or innovation schools, depending on what providers apply to the "Call for Quality Schools."
The district can also close schools permanently under the policy.
Schools that are on their fourth and fifth years on the Accountability Clock will be recommended for closure and potential replacement, according to Thursday's presentation.
The state gives schools and districts ratings based on things such as standardized test scores and graduation rates. If a school receives one of two ratings -- turnaround (which is red) or priority improvement (which is orange) -- then they are on the state's Accountability Clock. If a school stays on the clock for five years, then the state steps in.
Of the DPS schools at risk of closing, two of them -- JFK and Rocky Mountain Prep Noel -- are on their fourth year on the clock. Three others -- Cheltenham and Oakland elementaries and Traylor Academy -- are on Year 3.
Academy 360 is in its third year on the clock, but is considered to be "on watch" after earning an improvement (yellow) rating from the state. If the school earns the same or a higher performance (green) rating in 2026, then the school will exit the Accountability Clock.
is exempt from the School Transformation Process because it is already under state intervention, DPS spokesman Scott Pribble said.
If the schools see their test scores improve and earn higher ratings in 2026 and 2027, then they will exit the Accountability Clock and no longer be considered for closure.
If they perform well next year, but fall back to a "red" or "orange" rating in 2027, then they will also be considered for closure, with potential new schools opening in 2028, according to the presentation.
Updated 3 p.m. Oct. 31, 2025: This story was updated to include Academy 360 as a school that could be closed by Denver Public Schools and replaced with a new provider.
