Adams 12 approves six school closures, including Thornton’s Cherry Drive

Adams 12 Five Star Schools will close five elementary schools and Shadow Ridge Middle School after the 2026-27 school year, following a 4-1 Board of Education vote on October 7. The closures are planned to take effect for the 2027-28 school year, not immediately.

The elementary schools named in the plan are North Mor, Rocky Mountain, Centennial, Cherry Drive and The Studio School. Cherry Drive Elementary in Thornton is one of the six schools slated to close.

The district identified 1,586 students and 341 staff members at the six schools. It estimates the overall package will save about $5 million annually after its first year of implementation; that is a projection, not a realized saving.

Cherry Drive students assigned to Riverdale

Cherry Drive students will have places at Riverdale Elementary for 2027-28. The district lists Cherry Drive’s 2026-27 enrollment as 240 students, or 285 including preschool, and estimates about 417 students at the consolidated Riverdale school the following year. The district estimates Riverdale would operate at about 88% of building capacity.

Families may apply to another Adams 12 school through the district’s choice process. Applications from students affected by the closure will be prioritized after staff-child and sibling applications, and before other applications. The district says transportation will be available for Cherry Drive families who need to cross 112th Avenue to reach their new school; transportation required by a student’s IEP will continue. The Cherry Drive Affective Needs program is also to move to Riverdale.

Hulstrom move and proposed arts magnet

The approved package also relocates and expands Hulstrom K-8 at the current Shadow Ridge site. The new arts-emphasis K-8 magnet is planned for Hulstrom’s current Northglenn site. Its opening is conditional on reaching at least 420 students by December 15, 2026; that threshold applies to the magnet, not to the six approved closures.

The district’s September recommendation described a phased opening for the magnet: kindergarten through sixth grade in 2027-28, seventh grade in 2028-29 and eighth grade in 2029-30. The district’s stated rationale for the broader consolidation plan is declining enrollment and aligning school resources with enrollment.

CBS Colorado reported that Superintendent Chris Gdowski said district enrollment was about 7,400 below its level eight years earlier. The report also said a current-year loss initially projected at about 658 students had become an indication of a decline slightly greater than 1,200; that figure was an in-year indication, not a final count.

The vote followed more than 30 hours of community engagement, according to CBS Colorado. The outlet reported that a parent at a school slated to close argued the plan put savings ahead of students’ needs. The dissenting board member raised questions about supports during transitions, including class sizes, services for multilingual learners and students with additional needs, and after-school services.