Is South Denver Still a Good Place for Families? School Closures Explained
-
Why are schools closing in South Denver, and what does it mean if you are moving to Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, or Douglas County with kids? Are these places still a good place to raise a family??
Douglas County school closures are changing the way families think about buying a home near a school in the southern Denver suburbs. If you are moving to Douglas County CO, relocating to Colorado with kids, or comparing the best Denver suburbs for families, this is something you really want to understand before choosing a neighborhood. In this video, we break down what happened to Heritage Elementary in Highlands Ranch, Saddle Ranch Elementary, Acres Green Elementary, Eldorado, and Summit View. We also talk through why enrollment is declining in Highlands Ranch, why some established neighborhoods have fewer kids than they used to, and what that means for Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree Schools.
We answer some of the biggest questions families are asking right now: Which Highlands Ranch schools are closing? What Lone Tree schools are closing? What happened to Eldorado Elementary? What happened to Summit View Elementary? Why are these schools closing? And importantly: what will take their places? (Sneak peak: campuses are being repurposed for district programs like home school support services, while others have less certain long-term plans.
Beyond the closures themselves, we look at what this means on the ground for families. That includes where students are being consolidated, how transportation and bus routes are changing, which school moves are more disruptive, and how Douglas County school consolidation may affect daily life for parents and students... and of course How do these changes impact home values in these areas? Because we know you want to know the impacts on real estate. f you are buying a home near a school in Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, or another southern Denver suburb, school boundaries, capacity, enrollment trends, and future closures should all be part of the conversation. And if you are selling, these changes may influence what buyers ask, how they compare neighborhoods, and how they think about long-term value.
Whether you are moving to Highlands Ranch Colorado, moving to Lone Tree Colorado, researching Douglas County schools, comparing southern Denver suburbs, or trying to understand school closures and home values, this video will help you ask better questions before making a move.
Thinking about buying or selling in the southern Denver suburbs? Reach out to us. We would be happy to help you understand the neighborhoods, schools, tradeoffs, and real estate strategy that fit your goals.
-
0:00
Imagine that you buy a house in a
0:02
neighborhood you're really excited
0:03
about. [music] And one of the big
0:04
reasons that you chose this specific
0:06
home is it's a 2minute walk from the
0:08
closest elementary school. You get in,
0:10
you settle in, and you get your kiddos
0:12
started in kindergarten, and they're
0:13
loving it. But just in time for first
0:15
grade, your kid is ripped out of the
0:17
school and it's closed down.
0:20
Okay. What a rough time to have that
0:21
happen, too. But what we can be certain
0:24
that this wouldn't happen to an
0:25
established school district [music] in
0:27
the southern Denver suburbs, could we?
0:29
It could and it did right here in
0:31
Highlands Ranch. It happened with my
0:33
neighborhood school.
0:34
You know, and it always happened to my
0:35
neighborhood school. We [music] just got
0:37
lucky that our school was the one that
0:38
was consolidated into instead of out of.
0:41
Yeah. It's a painoint for a lot of
0:42
folks. And today we're going to talk
0:44
about it [music] and the three schools
0:45
in Douglas County that have closed down
0:47
or are about to close down. But we're
0:49
going to talk about everything that it
0:50
has to do with [music] you. How it's
0:51
going to impact your kiddos, how it's
0:52
going to impact you, your real estate
0:55
values, [music] and what's going to
0:56
happen with those sites as they close
0:58
down. So whether you are considering
1:00
moving to Douglas County or whether you
1:02
are looking at what's happening because
1:04
you want to be informed about your home
1:05
values, we are here to guide you through
1:07
this whole process so you understand
1:08
everything you need to know about that.
1:10
We're Jake and Megan Friedel, your
1:12
brother sister real estate team,
1:14
full-time [music] real estate agents,
1:15
part-time tour guides to everything
1:16
southern southern Denver living. Whether
1:19
you're moving in the next [music] 9 or
1:20
900 days, we are here to help you
1:22
strategize, to make plans, to help you
1:25
sell your home for as much as possible,
1:26
and help you find your perfect place.
1:28
Let's dive in to Douglas County school
1:30
closures.
1:31
I think to really tackle this topic in
Why Douglas County Schools Are Consolidating
1:33
full, we [music] have to start by
1:35
addressing why did the district make
1:36
this decision.
1:38
You know, it was a really tough one. So,
1:40
I think the first thing I want to do is
1:41
just acknowledge all if you if you're in
1:43
Highlands Ranch, you already know about
1:45
this. This is a really frustrating and
1:47
upsetting issue for a lot of folks. Um,
1:50
and it compliment both sides.
1:51
On both sides.
1:52
No one was super jazzed about doing
1:54
this.
1:54
No, absolutely not. So, we don't want to
1:56
make light of anyone's loss of their
1:58
home school. And this what a what a
2:00
frustrating thing. Um, but in the
2:02
overall what the district [music] saw
2:04
was that we had several schools that
2:06
were less than half of their capacity
2:09
for kids, which that [music] means big
2:12
problems for each of those schools.
2:14
Mhm. Yeah. I think to really put a
2:16
positive spin on what is a crappy
2:18
situation, I'll say I think there is a
2:21
positive side of this and it's that some
2:23
of these schools especially have left to
2:25
continue on this path would begin to see
2:28
a lot of cuts cuts from extracurricular
2:31
program from full-time staff support
2:34
from all of the things that make these
2:36
schools so wonderful [music]
2:37
over time because the funding wouldn't
2:40
be there. So, by combining some of these
2:42
schools, we've really allowed that
2:44
funding to be in [music] full throttle
2:46
and for all of these activities to run
2:48
as they're intended. And it really is to
2:51
the benefit of the kids despite a little
2:54
bit of speed bumps in the meantime.
2:56
That's right. Cuz you really actually
2:57
want a school to [music] be at or close
2:59
to capacity. Now, we don't want problems
3:01
like, you know, a lot of these schools
3:02
years and years ago were over capacity,
3:04
which is why we have these mobile
3:06
classrooms in the parking lots, right?
3:08
Because they had to expand. and that's
3:10
another problem. But you really want a
3:12
school to be full of kids and that's
3:14
more opportunities for kids to make
3:15
friends and especially to keep all
3:17
[music] the programming in place. So
3:19
really important and though it was a
3:21
tough decision, I think that overall the
3:23
district did the right thing here. And
3:24
so a lot of folks are wondering how did
Highlands Ranch Enrollment, Families and Housing
3:26
this happen? How do we take a community
3:28
that just was so full of kids and all of
3:31
a sudden have three schools in the
3:34
district or you know in the area close
3:36
down?
3:37
Yeah, it's pretty wild. Well, I think it
3:39
starts, you know, if you go back like 30
3:41
to 40 years ago when they were starting
3:42
to build Highlands Ranch, Douglas County
3:44
was the fastest growing county in the
3:46
entire country. And at that point, there
3:48
were all these houses being built and
3:50
families were flocking to Highlands
3:53
Ranch
3:53
and so many of them although their
3:56
children have left, they [music] have
3:58
not. Yes. So, it's what we are
4:00
affectionately calling the silver
4:01
tsunami where we have uh a lot of the
4:04
baby boomer boomer generation has stayed
4:06
in place cuz they're comfortable. They
4:07
have a beautiful home. Why [music] would
4:09
they leave a market that's been super
4:10
weird and crazy for the past 10 years?
4:12
And so, they're just locked up there. In
4:14
combination with that, we have declining
4:17
birth rates because us millennials are
4:19
just not doing our jobs. You know, we
4:21
only have two kids each. What are we
4:23
doing out there?
4:24
Okay. Wait. So, is this the fault of the
4:27
older generation for not packing up and
4:30
leaving? Or is this the fault of the
4:31
young people for not doing their job and
4:33
having babies?
4:34
You know, it's mostly the older folks.
4:37
They are sticking around. America just
4:39
[music] doesn't downsize anymore these
4:40
days.
4:41
Yeah. They've got their homes paid off.
4:42
They love their community. They love
4:44
their neighborhood. I mean, my
4:46
neighborhood alone has a ton [music] of
4:48
baby boomers in it. Some of them bought
4:50
their home when it was being built. And
4:52
they all know each other. I mean, my
4:54
neighborhood, we all have a roster of
4:55
each other's phone numbers, emails,
4:57
[music]
4:58
and it's such a tight-knit community. I
5:00
can really understand not wanting to
5:02
leave that, but it is causing a problem.
5:05
Yeah. Well, how could you leave? It's
5:06
really sounds like a difficult [music]
5:08
thing to do.
5:09
But we do really need some homes for
5:11
these incoming families who have the
5:13
little kiddos that are ready to go into
5:15
these schools. So, if you do happen to
5:17
be wandering around your home thinking,
5:18
[music]
5:19
I really don't need this fourth bedroom
5:21
and fourth bathroom, then we've got a
5:24
great solution for you. We specialize in
5:25
selling in Highlands Ranch and all the
5:27
Douglas County area, and we would be so
5:29
happy to market your property at the
5:30
fullest and get you in a place that
5:32
you're equally [music] as excited about.
5:35
That's right. Now, let's hop into the
5:38
first set of schools. So, how we're
5:39
going to take these three school
5:41
closures and consolidations is we're
5:43
going to go from the least impactful to
5:45
the most impactful. So, this train wreck
5:47
is just going to get worse as we go. So,
5:50
start off with the easiest one, which is
5:51
actually my personal school
5:53
consolidation. [music] Uh we have Summit
5:55
View Elementary School just up the road.
5:58
That is the school that is staying and
6:00
becoming [music] the new school. And
6:01
then uh8 mi down the road, we've got
6:04
Heritage Elementary School. So, pretty
Heritage Elementary to Mountain Peak Elementary
6:07
close by.
6:08
Okay. Yeah, that's not too bad. So, call
6:09
it what, like a 20-minute walk?
6:11
I mean, yeah. I guess you're I guess if
6:12
you're slow.
6:13
Well, I don't know if you've ever walked
6:14
with a 7year-old down the road, but if
6:17
you take my kids on a walk, that could
6:18
easily climb to 25 minutes when they
6:20
pick up every roly pololy on the route.
6:23
All right, that's fair. So, this is
6:25
pretty impactful for the folks who
6:26
bought right next to Heritage High
6:28
School. Um, [music] they are going to
6:30
have a longer walk for a lot of the far
6:32
reaches of that neighborhood or maybe
6:34
they're going to have to drive [music]
6:36
um or send their kids on that bus route
6:38
because we did add one bus [music] route
6:40
for this school consolidation. Um, and
6:43
and part of the reason why they chose
6:45
some of you over Heritage is that some
6:48
of you actually has uh about a 5,000
6:52
square ft bigger building and the
6:54
traffic is set up just a little more
6:57
attractively. So, the driving traffic is
6:59
going to be a little better, just a
7:01
smoother transition, bigger building.
7:03
And by the way, this new school is going
7:04
to be called [music] Mountain Peak
7:06
Elementary
7:08
School, home of the Mountain Peak
7:09
Mustangs.
7:10
So you've got Mountain Peak now and, you
7:14
know, the smallest distance of the
7:16
movement of schools, the [music] least,
7:18
you know, big of a mountain to climb as
7:22
far as transportation and what they're
7:24
going to do with that. But then
7:25
everybody wants to know, we've got this
7:27
empty school, [music] what's going to
7:28
happen to it? So now the old uh Heritage
7:32
Elementary School is going to become the
7:34
Cloverleaf Enrichment Center [music] to
7:36
support homeschooling families.
7:38
Homeschooling. Okay. So that could be a
7:40
small contributor to these kids not
7:41
going to the schools. Don't you think?
7:43
You know, I do think it's a small factor
7:45
and there are a lot of private schools
7:47
and more like Christian schools in the
7:49
Highlands Ranch area, but we don't think
7:51
it's as [music] big of factor as those
7:52
other ones. So maybe like 5 to 10%.
7:55
Fair enough.
7:56
Okay. So, the Cloverleaf Enrichment
7:57
Center, it's going to be an awesome
7:59
center where if you have families who
8:01
are homeschooling in the area, you can
8:04
bring them in for a full day of school
8:06
at Cloverleaf. Um, which is really
8:08
great. You know, you've got a lot of
8:09
support. We were thinking about
8:10
homeschooling our kids at some point due
8:11
[music] to some struggles we have. And,
8:14
uh, it's daunting to think about like,
8:17
oh, we got to take this all on ourselves
8:19
and there's 5 days a week and how do we
8:21
get to hang with other kids? [music]
8:22
Uh and and this this center is just
8:25
going to be a place that makes it much
8:26
easier and it's [music] a really cool
8:28
thing. Douglas County is actually one of
8:30
the friendliest counties for
8:31
homeschooling in the area.
8:32
Yeah, that sounds like a huge support.
8:35
Okay, so the site is going to be
8:36
wellmaintained. It's not going to be
8:37
some barren, rundown, empty ghost town.
8:41
It's going to have a little bit of
8:42
traffic. I mean, maybe even a little bit
8:43
better cuz now you're not dealing with
8:45
like the exact 300 p.m. rush time every
8:48
time. It's probably a little smaller, a
8:49
little more calm.
8:50
That's right. So, I'd say if you don't
8:51
have kids who are elementary school age,
8:54
this is maybe a plus because you're
8:56
losing out on a ton of the traffic.
8:58
Yeah. And as far as your home value
8:59
goes, no matter who you are, I think
9:02
it's safe to say it's pretty stable and
9:04
unchanged by this.
9:06
Yeah. I'd say for this neighborhood
9:08
especially, this is the least impactful
9:10
one. You're still pretty close. You
9:12
know, there's going to be some impact.
9:13
Like maybe a few folks are going to want
9:15
to be closer to the school, but not
9:17
huge. And the next school closure is
Saddle Ranch Elementary, Golden Ridge and Bus Routes
9:19
also another one in Highlands Ranch and
9:21
it's over on the west side of Highlands
9:23
Ranch over there. Saddle Ranch
9:25
Elementary is the one that's going to
9:27
close down. It's going to blend in with
9:29
the neighboring school which is Elorado.
9:31
That of course is going to get a new
9:33
name as well. It's going to be Golden
9:34
Ridge. And this new school is going to
9:37
blend the old two. But the old one is
9:39
not going to just sit there vacant,
9:40
[music]
9:41
unattended, unmaintained.
9:44
There's going to be a new purpose for
9:45
it. and it's one that you have a little
9:46
bit of experience with, right?
9:47
That's right. So, they're taking care of
9:49
this school and it's going to become
9:50
both the Childf Find Center and the
9:53
Bridge Program Center. Uh [music] so,
9:56
Childfind is where you take your kiddo
9:58
to maybe discover if they need extra
10:01
support from the school district,
10:02
whether that's with like speech therapy
10:04
or vision or hearing or any kind of
10:07
special needs. And the bridge program is
10:10
a transition program for uh for folks
10:14
who who have graduated high school and
10:16
are kind of transit young adults who are
10:18
kind of transitioning into adult life to
10:20
teach.
10:20
Yeah. They're done with high school, but
10:22
they still have an IEP qualification and
10:24
still have some needs to to get done
10:25
[music] at that school,
10:26
right? And they still qualify for some
10:28
assistance in in learning some of those
10:30
adult activities.
10:31
So, this is a really comparable
10:32
situation as the last one we were
10:34
speaking about. This is still two
10:36
closest two schools that are fairly
10:38
close together. I mean, we're talking
10:40
about a mile and there's an open space
10:42
that you can walk through. You know,
10:43
roughly 20-ish minutes is what it's
10:45
going to be adding to that distance. But
10:48
that's really true for walking. That's a
10:50
little bit of a different story with
10:51
driving.
10:52
Yeah, that's right. The driving is going
10:53
to be a lot worse. So, just the way the
10:55
neighborhood is situated is you have
10:56
this really nice path and walkway that
10:59
runs through between the two schools.
11:00
[music] Um, and there's no way to drive
11:02
directly from one school to the other.
11:04
So, if you're in the Saddle Ranch area,
11:07
[music]
11:08
then your drive to the elementary school
11:10
goes from a couple of blocks to about 2
11:12
and 1/2 miles all the way around the
11:14
gully and all the way even around town
11:16
center.
11:17
Yeah, this really like the thing that
11:18
people are always complaining about with
11:20
Highlands Ranch. If you hear someone
11:21
roasting our roads, it's because they're
11:23
windy and they're not on a locked grid.
11:25
[music]
11:25
And so, part of that comes into play
11:27
here where you are kind of doing this
11:28
weird swoop to get to your school. It's
11:30
a little bit of drive time, but it's not
11:31
like we're talking about you're crossing
11:33
multiple neighborhoods to get to your
11:35
new school. If you're looking at it on a
11:37
map, you might kind of be feeling like
11:39
what's all the fuss about, but you know,
11:41
it is still a real problem for people.
11:43
It's a real thing that they're
11:44
experiencing.
11:45
Yeah. So, low impact for walking and
11:47
riding bikes to school, but the driving
11:49
is going to be a little worse.
11:51
And same thing for transportation here.
11:53
You are getting one new bus route, so
11:54
you still have provided transportation.
11:56
Okay. And our last one here, the last
Acres Green Elementary, Lone Tree Schools and Home Values
11:58
consolidation is Acres Green
12:01
consolidating into Fox Creek Elementary
12:04
School becoming Silver Spruce Elementary
12:07
School. And if you thought the last 2
12:09
and 1/2 mile drive was bad, way do you
12:11
hear about this train wreck, Megan?
12:13
Yeah, it's tough. Uh, it's always a
12:15
matter of perspective, but this one is a
12:17
tough pill to swallow because not only
12:19
is it over a 2-m walk increase, it's
12:22
still also over, you know, about 2 and
12:24
1/2 miles drive increase. And that is
12:28
enough in and of itself. But then you
12:30
got to add the fact that if you're
12:32
walking it or even driving it, you're
12:34
crossing Quebec to get to the new
12:36
school. And that is a pretty major road.
12:38
It's not one that I'd ever want my
12:39
elementary school kid crossing. Yeah,
12:41
that's a six lane, 45 mph speed limit,
12:45
which means people are driving 60 mph
12:47
and it's insane.
12:49
Yeah, it's Yeah, people are always
12:50
roasting Ranch drivers as well. And you
12:52
know, it's just not something that you'd
12:53
be super stoked about for that
12:54
transition. So, some people are pretty
12:57
frustrated on this one. It is leaving
12:59
people feeling a little aiss, [music]
13:01
but I will say at least they've got a
13:04
really cool plan for what that old
13:05
school is now going to become.
13:08
Absolutely nothing. Oh, so not that
13:10
cool.
13:11
Nothing yet. [clears throat]
13:13
Well, it is going to become a
13:14
construction site for uh we don't not
13:18
longterm on the construction site, but
13:20
the building is getting a new roof, and
13:22
they do plan on continuing to maintain
13:24
the grounds and the landscaping. So,
13:25
they're not going to go let it fall into
13:27
disrepair, but they don't have immediate
13:29
plans for this building, which [music]
13:31
is pretty unfortunate.
13:33
Yes. And we'll keep figuring we'll keep
13:35
monitoring what is going to happen with
13:37
that. if by the time this video is
13:38
released or by the time you're watching
13:40
it, you have an idea of what's going on.
13:41
Leave it in the comments below. We'd
13:42
love to hear what is going to be the
13:44
next site and we'll be keeping on top of
13:46
it as well with you.
13:47
And the last piece to this equation is
13:49
that they are adding three new bus
13:51
routes for this one, which thank
13:52
goodness [music] for, you know, how far
13:54
you're going to have to go from the
13:55
Acres neighborhood on this one.
13:56
Yeah. So, at least you're not adding a
13:58
miserable, really, really long bus
14:01
route. You've got three more coming, so
14:02
you're still going to have ample
14:03
transportation for your kiddos. Well,
Moving to Douglas County With Kids in 2026
14:05
that was great today about all the
14:06
consolidations happening in the
14:08
Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree area, but
14:09
that's not the whole story with Douglas
14:11
County school issues. There's also a
14:14
bunch of schools that we were promised
14:16
as a county that [music] never opened or
14:18
may never open. Yeah, and we have a
14:20
whole video of that, so be sure and
14:21
check that out. And of course, we also
14:23
have stuff about different school
14:24
districts, the school choice programs
14:26
for them, and neighborhood tours of all
14:28
kinds of communities. But none of those
14:30
videos are a true replacement for
14:31
[music] actually having a conversation
14:33
with us. So, get us on the phone, shoot
14:35
us a text, set up a Zoom call with us.
14:37
We're so excited to hear from you.
14:38
And whether you're buying or selling and
14:40
just want to talk about uh the perfect
14:41
place for you or how this impacts your
14:44
real estate values, we'd be happy to
14:46
conver have a conversation. So, reach
14:48
out. Thanks so much for joining us today
14:50
and we'll see you next
-
Q: Why are schools closing in the South Denver area?
A: The main driver is declining enrollment. Lower birth rates, high housing costs pushing young families elsewhere, and shifting population patterns mean fewer school-age children in some neighborhoods. Districts consolidate schools to manage budgets when buildings are under-enrolled.
Q: Do school closures mean South Denver is no longer good for families?
A: No. South Denver still offers strong suburbs, parks, trails, and family amenities. Closures are largely a budget and demographics issue in specific neighborhoods, not a sign the whole region is declining. Many highly rated schools remain open and in demand.
Q: How do closures affect families with kids currently enrolled?
A: Affected students are typically reassigned to a nearby school. This can mean longer commutes,
new teachers and classmates, and boundary changes. It can also affect neighborhood home values
and the sense of community tied to a local school.
Q: How can I protect against buying near a school that might close?
A: Look at enrollment trends, not just current ratings. Ask the district about any schools under
review for consolidation, check the age and capacity of the building, and favor schools with stable
or growing enrollment in growing neighborhoods.
Q: Which South Denver areas are still strong for families?
A: Growing, family-oriented suburbs with stable enrollment tend to be safest bets. In the metro's
south end, communities in Douglas County and established parts of Highlands Ranch, Parker, and
Castle Rock generally maintain strong demand and school stability. Always confirm current
assignments and trends for your specific address
