Northern Colorado Schools Have A Strange Problem: Too Full Or Too Empty

Lately, I've been hearing conflicting reports about schools in Northern Colorado reaching capacity. But on the flip side, my 9-year-old Murphy has to walk to a different bus stop because there weren't enough kids to justify multiple stops, so they had to condense the route.

But I've also heard more schools are being built in the Northern Colorado area because more and more kids are enrolling.

So which is it? Let's take a look at the facts.

Schools with overcrowding

Weld RE-4, which includes schools in West Greeley, Windsor, and Severance, has grown quite a bit over the past few years. According to the Weld RE-4 website, the number of children has gone from 7,313 in 2019-2020 to 8,883 in 2025-2026. That's a 21% jump in just a few years. This means schools have to get creative with student placement and the number of employees they need to hire to cover the workload.

Many kids have also begun learning in modules to manage growth and limit the enrollment of students from outside the district.

Schools under capacity

The Poudre School District seems to be having the opposite problem with enrollment at a staggering low. According to PSD, the number of students is now 25,013, meaning 513 students are no longer enrolled in the district. While elementary school is losing the most students.

So what gives? How can one be overcrowded while the other is hemorrhaging pupils? Let's break it down.

PSD says the drop in enrollment is primarily due to low birth rates, fewer young families moving to the area, and the area's cost of living. Bottom line: Northern Coloradoans are having fewer babies, and the cost of living is a bit ridiculous. Young couples planning to start a family are no longer considering Northern Colorado a viable option.

That's not all. PSD says the current projections don't show an end in sight.

As far as Weld RE-4 goes, the cramping situation is largely due to all of the houses being built and neighborhoods becoming established. Get this crazy statistic: Weld RE-4 had 4,082 students in 2009-2010, and in 2026 it has exploded to around 8,883 enrolled.

So while PSD is shrinking, Weld RE-4 continues to grow.