Highlands Ranch Community Mtgs

Meeting: Growth and Decline Challenges in DCSD

REMINDER: Upcoming Meetings: Growth and Decline Challenges in DCSD

Dear DCSD Families,

Nearly two years ago, we began having public conversations about how to address the difficult challenge of declining enrollment in parts of Highlands Ranch. According to enrollment projections, this issue will not improve in the foreseeable future.

As a result, we are looking to potentially pair up to six elementary schools in the Highlands Ranch area (which would result in the closure of up to three total elementary schools), specifically within the Highlands Ranch High School, Mountain Vista High School, and ThunderRidge High School feeder areas. (A feeder is when a group of elementary schools “feeds” students up to one middle school and then one high school.)

These will be difficult choices to make, and we understand the impact that pairing schools may have on families, students, and our community as a whole. However, we also see that addressing declining enrollment will be great for our kids and families in those paired school communities and throughout the district.

We are committed to making these decisions with transparency and care, and we cannot do that without input from across our community, including you. We have engaged with many in our school district, including parent representatives, our Board of Education, school leadership and staff. This will continue throughout this process.

These meetings will serve as conversations with our Highlands Ranch families who may be affected by the potential school pairings. We encourage you to join us to hear more and ask questions about why school pairings are being considered and to provide input on the criteria that will ultimately guide the district’s decisions.

You can find the meeting options below. Each meeting will provide the same information so that you can attend the one that best fits your schedule.

Please know that no recommendations for, or decisions on, school pairings have been made nor will they be made until spring 2025 with a proposed effective date of August 2026.

For these upcoming meetings, we will only focus on the criteria to be used for pairings. We very much want our families to continue providing input on this important part of the pairing process. These meetings will not include discussion about specific schools or their potential for pairing.

You can learn more at our Growth and Decline webpage, including our timeline and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

For questions, email slmanitoken@dcsdk12.org.

RSVP at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerUtUC3pHgXTPQRd2OzjQ02X1LQwbzH8CN4a9ktB9MtiZQ1A/viewform