Open enrollment for the 2027-28 school year began Nov. 1, with Boulder Valley families facing major changes to their elementary school options. Four schools are set to close next fall, while others will change grades, buildings or attendance boundaries.
A Boulder County judge last week declined to temporarily block the district’s plan after three parents sought an injunction, alleging the school board violated Colorado’s open meetings law. The judge’s decision allows the school changes to move forward while a lawsuit challenging the process continues. The district has also filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it did not violate the law and that any violation would not invalidate the board’s decision.
School choice is common for BVSD families, with 41% of elementary students open-enrolling outside their neighborhood school. But the changes approved by the school board Sept. 22 are forcing some families to find new schools and leaving others to reconsider their options.
The changes will reshape attendance boundaries and reduce school options across Boulder, Broomfield, Louisville and Superior. But the information families need to weigh their options is scattered across district reports, state data and school websites.
To help, Boulder Reporting Lab created an interactive guide to 29 BVSD elementary school options for fall 2027, bringing that information together in one place before open enrollment closes Dec. 18.
How to use the interactive guide
Start by selecting your current school area or using the map to find nearby schools. Filter by region, school type or programs, including preschool, before- and after-school care, dual-language instruction and special education centers.
Select up to three schools to compare side by side. The guide shows enrollment trends, current and projected building capacity, classes per grade, academic performance, staff feedback and available programs. It also identifies schools affected by closures or relocations and flags those projected to approach or exceed capacity.
Click into the interactive guide below to compare your school options:
What's changing for fall 2027?
Among the biggest shifts:
- Mesa and Birch will merge with Bear Creek and Kohl, respectively.
- Flatirons and Douglass attendance areas will be divided among neighboring schools.
- Monarch PK-8 will become a middle school, while Eldorado PK-8 will serve grades K–5.
- High Peaks and Community Montessori will move to different buildings.
Families affected by a school closure or relocation will receive first priority in the open-enrollment lottery for non-charter BVSD schools for 2027–28 only.
More changes may be coming. The district's dual-language schools, including Columbine, University Hill and Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer, remain under review, with additional research and family feedback planned for spring 2027.
Editor's note: School enrollment projections are estimates, not guarantees of available seats. Academic and staffing measures reflect different reporting periods, which are identified in the interactive.
