ARVADA, Colo. — Thursday, the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education will vote on a plan to merge Moore Middle School with Pomona High School. It would be the first school closure under Phase II of the district’s Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools plan. Phase I ended in May with the closure of 16 elementary schools.
District data shows Moore Middle School is using 46% of its building’s capacity. Pomona High School is using 57%, so the community proposed a plan to move sixth, seventh and eighth graders from Moore to Pomona starting in the 2024-2025 school year.
Pomona Principal Patrick Rock hopes it will be a positive change for all students.
“We actually brought (the proposal) to our district administration, the area principals here in the Pomona area are looking at it in terms of wanting to make sure that our kids have thriving opportunities, and academics,” Rock said.
Leaders are already looking at academic changes like allowing seventh and eighth graders to take more advanced classes, and pushing for upper classmen to do more college and career prep.
“My vision would be as a senior, maybe they're here half a day, and half a day they're out in the in the world, maybe even some paid internships,” Rock said.
While specific changes to the building are still in the planning stages, Rock said they would likely use the second floor of Pomona for sixth and seventh graders.
Jeffco Public Schools Spokesperson Kim Eloe said the district is still reviewing data to determine other possible middle school closures as part of Phase II of Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools. Enrollment in the district declined 14% from 2000 to 2020.
