Boundary Study

The 2023-24 Jeffco Public Schools boundary study examined enrollment trends, school choices and programs to identify ways to operate more efficiently and ensure equitable and high-quality education across the district.

For more than two decades, shifting demographics have significantly altered our community. Despite serving 91% of students in the county, Jeffco Public Schools has seen a steady decline in enrollment due to lower birth rates and rising housing costs. Recognizing the impact of these changes, the Board of Education directed the district to commission a boundary study to provide a clear roadmap for future planning.

The district is not recommending any additional school closures in the next three years. The closure of 21 schools between the 2020-21 and 2023-24 school years has better positioned Jeffco to manage ongoing enrollment declines.

The boundary study, conducted with the support of FLO Analytics and GBSM has provided insights for strengthening our systems, refining tracking methods and implementing an annual data reporting process. It also offered long-term enrollment trend insights to guide future consolidations and growth management. Based on its findings, the district gained clarity into our community’s trends including:

• 91% of children who live in Jefferson County attend Jeffco schools.
• Simply changing school boundary lines will not solve declining enrollment. In the past, boundary changes only helped to balance enrollment about half the time, and they were more likely to work when a boundary changed as a result of a school closure.
• The primary reason for this is that there are high levels of school choice in Jeffco. 40% of Jeffco families choose schools outside their designated boundaries.
• Families often prioritize instructional quality, connection, support and proximity when choosing schools. 
• Families rely on word-of-mouth and direct experience to assess school quality.

What’s next? 

The district is developing a strategic capital plan based on these findings to proactively meet future needs, including reevaluating our facilities and using data to make decisions minimizing disruptions for our students and community. The district will conduct additional studies on the longer-term findings in the report, including by monitoring official October Count numbers for the 2024-25 school year to evaluate a need for future action. All future decisions will involve input from school principals and the community to ensure they meet the needs of our students and families. Jeffco is committed to managing boundary adjustments and school choice effectively to maintain balanced enrollment across Jeffco.

Read the district’s letter summarizing the boundary study including the study’s findings,  what we’ve learned and how we move forward. 

Read the District Letter

Read the comprehensive boundary study findings and reports from FLO Analytics and GBSM Inc. commissioned by Jeffco Public Schools. 

Read the Full Report