DPS Boundary Change Info

Denver Public Schools is beginning the process of evaluating potential changes to school boundaries, zones, and choice for all schools in the district, including Slavens. These changes will be determined by October 2026 and go into effect in the 2027-2028 school year.

Read on to learn how you can get involved in the process!

Review Past Issues of the SHCA Newsletter With More Information

May 12, 2026: ALERT: Potential Changes to Slavens Boundaries!

May 21, 2026: Southern Hills May '26 News - Boundary Info Included!

May 22, 2026: Meeting Videos - Potential Changes to Slavens Boundaries

May 28, 2026: Flyer handed out at Slavens

June 12, 2026: DPS Boundary Review Update - Survey Results Preview and Upcoming Meeting

Email the DPS Board, Planners, and Superintendent

Use board@dpsk12.org, planning@dpsk12.org, and dps_superintendent@dpsk12.org. Be kind, be polite, and be respectful of the process!

Quick Email Themes

Our school is a model to be replicated, not tinkered with or dismantled. The Slavens community is:

INTENTIONAL: Slavens staff, PTA, FOSS, and families work hard to build a durable, tight-knit community.

LOCAL: Slavens boundaries mean a safe walk/roll to school, walkable friend networks, and a community of care in the neighborhood.

CONSISTENT: The unified K-8 experience means consistency in learning, shared experiences across all ages, and transportation efficiency for families who only have to make one trip.

INVESTED: Parents and neighbors donate time and resources generously because they know others value the community as much as they do and they see so many participating.

HEALTHY: Slavens is a healthy, well-functioning school in the healthy, stable Southeast region of DPS.

Expanded Email Themes

Slavens School is a stable, healthy school at the center of a tight-knit and deeply invested community in southeast Denver. Slavens is a model to be replicated, not an exception to be tinkered with or dismantled. The Slavens community and its neighborhood are…

INTENTIONAL

Slavens is the cultural and geographic center of a healthy community in Wellshire. Social networks are intentionally built early-on in the lower grades by dedicated teachers, staff, and parents who work hard to create community. Our PTA and Friends of Slavens School organizations continue to foster those relationships with workshops, events, and fundraising activities. A strong partnership with our registered neighborhood organization, the Southern Hills Community Association, also helps to bring the school community together with those neighbors who love the neighborhood, even if they don’t (yet) have DPS students.

LOCAL

The well-defined boundaries of Slavens mean that most boundary students have a safe walk or roll to school, crossing no major streets. The close proximity of homes means that trips are relatively short and everyone travels together. Siblings walk together, older kids walk with younger neighbors, and parents help herd everyone in the right direction each morning and afternoon. Being close to the school also means being close to friends. Students have robust, walkable friend networks and easy access to the school for recreation and socializing after hours. Everyone also benefits from a community of care in which parents and neighbors watch out for all, not just their own kids.

CONSISTENT

Consistency is key to the success of Slavens and a major reason it lies at the heart of our community. Students form early, strong, and lasting bonds as they rise through nine years of school together. This consistency makes them better peers, friends, and collaborators as their academic horizons expand. Being a K-8 school also means there is ample opportunity for students of all ages to share enriching experiences. Upper elementary students adopt reading buddies in the lower grades and then get to watch them become big readers themselves. Middle school students serve as classroom helpers and role models. It is truly a joy to see our youngest students rush to embrace our oldest ones in school and around the neighborhood where they all live. Parents also benefit from consistency when it comes to transportation. By ensuring that our elementary schoolers become our middle schoolers, parents with more than one child are not burdened by multiple drop-off and pick-up trips around town. Keeping siblings together for nine years creates efficiency and family stability.

INVESTED

The entire Slavens community, and Wellshire at large, is deeply invested in the school and its students’ success. Parents and neighbors donate time and resources generously because they know others value the community as much as they do and they see so many participating. Close proximity enables parents to regularly attend classroom functions and volunteer their time. Our PTA and the Friends of Slavens School raise funds that benefit all students at Slavens, boundary and choice. Neighborhood homeowners maintain a stake in the school’s success and often give back financially and by helping to keep the school and the neighborhood beautiful.

HEALTHY

Slavens is a healthy, well-functioning school in the healthy, stable Southeast region of DPS. Slavens rounds out its substantial boundary population with choice students from around the city. According to the 2025 Strategic Regional Analysis (SRA), the subregion containing Slavens is expected to see flat or balanced growth in elementary and middle school. Moreover, per the 2025 SRA, capacity in the Southeast region is expected to remain ideal to high. These metrics, among others, demonstrate that Slavens resides in a healthy, balanced region of DPS.

As you consider redrawing DPS boundaries in accordance with Executive Limitation 19, please consider carefully how well Slavens, its neighborhood, and its region currently function. Please do not fracture our tight-knit community or make changes that will disrupt the consistency of the K-8 experience. Our school is a model to be replicated, not tinkered with or dismantled.

Support the Southern Hills Community Association

We can’t do it without you! Find this email useful? Enjoy attending our events? Want to see us do even more? Please consider joining the SHCA and paying your annual dues if you live in the neighborhood. If you don’t, please consider a contribution anyway! All are welcome at our public events.