Douglas County Schools Seek Community Input on New Elementary School Boundaries

Two new elementary schools are under construction in Lone Tree and Sterling Ranch, and the boundary lines being drawn around them will determine which neighborhoods feed which campus when the 2026-2027 school year begins. Douglas County School District is collecting public input on those boundaries now, with final proposals expected before the school board as soon as May or June.

The district has already moved fast on the other end of the equation. In less than a year, DCSD consolidated six schools into three within Highlands Ranch, a decision that reshuffled feeder patterns for families near Eldorado, Northridge, Heritage, Copper Mesa, Millston, and the Carriage Club area. Those boundary changes were approved at the board's April 22, 2025 meeting and take effect for the coming school year.

The two new schools represent the opposite challenge: communities still being built, with young families arriving faster than existing attendance zones can absorb them. Superintendent Erin Kane pointed to Sterling Ranch as the clearest indicator of where the district is growing. "When you look at Sterling Ranch, it's already 20% built out. So we're seeing families with kids moving into those neighborhoods," Kane said.

That growth sits in sharp contrast to the demographic reality driving Highlands Ranch consolidations. "We're very big, so we have pockets," Kane said. "We have pockets of growth and we have pockets of decline. But the pockets aren't next to each other."

Kane traced the decline in some communities to choices families made a generation ago. "People moved into their homes 25, 30 years ago and put all of their little kids through our school systems, and we built all these schools," she said. "Those people stayed in their homes, so now we do not have anywhere near as many young children in those communities, as we had 20 years ago."

For staff at schools facing consolidation or boundary shifts, the district has maintained a standing commitment: any affected employee will have a place within DCSD.

Preferred boundary maps for both new schools are posted on the district's website, alongside the Master Capital Plan, Financial Transparency page, Bond and MLO information, Traffic Reports, and a Proposed Transition Plan. The board is expected to take up final proposals as soon as May or June, leaving parents a narrow window to weigh in before attendance lines are drawn.