A growing number of Front Range school districts will be closed for in-person learning through the end of the school year to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
Colorado’s five largest districts — Denver Public Schools, Jeffco Public Schools, Douglas County School District, Cherry Creek School District, and Aurora Public Schools — were among 14 districts that announced the decision together on April 3.
Several other districts announced their decisions separately, bringing the total number of districts closing buildings for the remainder of the year to 24, as of April 15.
The tiny Ouray and Ridgway school districts are the latest to make the announcement.
These closures go beyond the governor’s order that closes all Colorado schools to in-person learning through April 30.
Denver’s 92,000 students started remote learning Tuesday, April 7. The approximately 84,000 students who attend Jeffco Public Schools have been doing remote learning since March 17 and will continue now through the end of the school year.
Thompson School District in Loveland, Poudre School District in Fort Collins, and the Gunnison Watershed District were among the first in the state to announce their closures for the rest of the school year.
As of April 15, there were more than 8,200 COVID-19 cases in Colorado, though state officials say the number of infected residents is likely much higher. At least 357 people in the state have died of the disease, and more than 1,600 have been hospitalized.
In announcing closures through the end of the school year, district leaders cited the likelihood the coronavirus cases will peak at the end of April, and said it will be safer to continue remote learning though May instead of convening lots of people in school buildings.
The extended closure means districts will likely have to postpone or cancel events such as proms and in-person graduation celebrations.
We have a list of Colorado school closures below.
Know of any districts we’re missing? Send us an email at co.tips@chalkbeat.org
Adams 12 Five Star, 38,700 students
Adams 14, 6,600 students
Aurora Public Schools, 40,000 students
Cherry Creek School District, 56,000 students
Clear Creek School District, 717 students
Denver Public Schools, 92,000 students
Douglas County School District, 67,300 students
Eagle County Schools, 6,800 students
Englewood Schools, 2,600 students
Gunnison Watershed School District, 2,100 students
Harrison School District 2, 11,500 students
Jeffco Public Schools, 84,000 students
Littleton Public Schools, 15,000 students
Mapleton Public Schools, 9,150 students
Montrose County School District, 6,200 students
Ouray R-1, 170 students
Poudre School District, 29,700 students
Pueblo City Schools District 60, 15,200 students
Pueblo County School District 70, 10,500 students
Ridgway R-2, 354 students
Sheridan School District, 1,350 students
School District 27J, 19,000 students
Thompson School District, 16,000 students
Westminster Public Schools, 9,000 students