JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Declining enrollment may soon claim another school in the Denver metro area. Jeffco Public Schools is hosting a series of community meetings to determine the future of Jefferson Junior/Senior High School in Edgewater. The district is proposing closing the school, which serves grades 7-12, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. Students would instead attend Everitt Middle School and Wheat Ridge High School.
Jeffco Public Schools is proposing new uses for the building. District Chief of Staff Lisa Relou said, the district wants the community to come up with ideas to repurpose the school for career-focused programming.
“Should we be healthcare focused? Should we be cybersecurity focused? What are the interests in the community, and how does that also relate to the city of Edgewater’s interests,” Relou said.
The district is hosting three upcoming meetings to gather community input on February 24, March 3 and March 31 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Jefferson Junior/Senior High School. A meeting originally set for February 11 was postponed due to inclement weather.
Relou said if the community would rather keep the school open as a comprehensive high school, that’s also on the table, but enrollment declines will eventually force some tough decisions.
“The school will be unsustainable according to the data and demographic trends that we are seeing,” Relou said, noting that many students in the area are already choosing to attend Wheat Ridge or Lakewood High Schools.
The district will use community feedback to present ideas to the Jeffco Board of Education. A decision on the future of Jefferson Junior/Senior High School has to be made by November.
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