Here are the 10 Denver Public Schools that could close or restructure in 2025

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver Public Schools will close seven schools and restructure three others on a grade level at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, the district announced Thursday evening.

DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero presented the list of schools to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education on Thursday. Board members will visit the schools recommended to be closed from Nov. 11 through Nov. 15, and Marrero is scheduled to visit the schools the week of Nov. 18.

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A list of family engagement meetings has been scheduled to be posted on Friday online here .

The schools that Marrero recommended be closed are:

For the grade-level restructures, impacted schools and grade levels recommended are:

A public comment session is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18 at the scheduled Board of Education work session. The special public comment session will be limited to people who have not already spoken on the topic in front of the Board or Superintendent during an earlier session.

Additionally, all students in closing schools will be automatically enrolled in a receiving school. The district said that if the consolidation plan involves an enrollment zone rather than a single school, parents will need to identify a preferred school.

CLOSINGS: Check our list of school and local closures in the Denver region

"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," the district said in a release.

The DPS Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the list of schools on Nov. 21. Staff members at all impacted schools will "follow the hiring process that is outlined in their collective bargaining units," the district said.

Rob Gould, special education teacher and president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, provided a statement to FOX31 following the announcement.

"Every student deserves a safe, supportive, and fully resourced school—regardless of their zip code," Gould wrote. "Schools are the heart of our communities, and closures pose serious challenges for everyone. For years, the underfunding of our schools and budget decisions made by DPS have forced cuts or a reduction in services to essential student supports like multilingual learning, special education, mental health services, health care, arts, and physical education. These are critical rights that create a high-quality public education system that all students deserve."

Gould said that the school choice system in DPS has "led to the rapid expansion of charter schools," which diverts students from the public school system, as well as the funding provided for each student.

"Without a sustainable, long-term vision, our public education system has become overextended, leaving underserved communities to suffer. We're seeing the effects of this over-expansion now, evidenced by the communities who are being harshly impacted by these closures," Gould wrote.

Gould said the Denver Classroom Teachers Association is committed to providing students with a high-quality education and resources needed to thrive but is concerned about rising class sizes, mental health supports, and resources to support the ever-growing number of student needs.

"Every day, our committed educators are asked to do more with less, leading to overworked and overburdened educators who are doing their best to serve students," Gould said.

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Gould also said the group is "disappointed" in the district's community engagement surrounding this effort.

"PowerPoint presentations from district officials who are far removed from the classroom do not capture the realities or the experiences of our students, families and communities," Gould wrote. "True engagement requires meaningful discussions about continuity for students, job placements, and resources for displaced families—conversations that were impossible to have during the district's 'community engagement process' as it was unknown which schools would be impacted by school closures. It was simply all hypothetical with no real opportunity to hear from educators, students, families and communities."

Gould also noted that DPS educators are anxious about their jobs, and said the group will track the number of educators from closed schools hired to open positions in the district.

"We expect DPS to prioritize retaining its dedicated, experienced educators who currently serve DPS students and who know our students and communities best," Gould wrote. "The nearly 4,000 members of the DCTA will not relent on the fight to ensure that educators' rights are upheld and that students have what they need to thrive."