Colorado districts add online classes

Colorado school districts are adding or enlarging online programs as they try to keep students from leaving for statewide virtual schools. The push comes as public school enrollment in Colorado fell to 870,793 in 2025-26, the lowest level in a decade, according to the Colorado Department of Education. District leaders say families want more flexible schedules, remote coursework, and hybrid options that let students stay connected to local schools. The expansion is also sharpening a question for brick-and-mortar campuses: what schools can offer that a screen cannot. ### Why are districts building their own online options now? Colorado’s statewide enrollment decline has raised the stakes for districts that lose even small numbers of students. The Colorado Department of Education said 2025-26 enrollment dropped to 870,793, and Chalkbeat reported districts across the state are contending with budget cuts and, in some places, school closures. Delta County School District in western Colorado became one example after 138 students left for public online schools in a single year, a shift district leaders said cost about $1.6 million in state funding. Superintendent Caryn Gibson Clay told Chalkbeat and KUNC that district officials saw both a financial loss and a loss of connection with local students. (cde.state.co.us) ### Where are those students going? Colorado has 44 multi-district online schools serving more than 30,000 students statewide, according to reporting that cited Colorado Department of Education data. About half of those schools draw 90% or more of their students from outside the district that authorizes them. The Colorado Department of Education says multi-district online schools can enroll students from anywhere in the state, while single-district online schools and programs are limited to students in the authorizing district. (newsbreak.com) That distinction has pushed some districts to create their own programs rather than watch students enroll elsewhere. ### What are districts promising families? Delta County launched Empower Online last fall with a pitch that combined flexible online classes with continued access to district staff, clubs, and events such as prom, according to Chalkbeat’s reporting. (kunc.org) District leaders said they believed they could offer the convenience families wanted without severing students’ ties to local schools. (ed.cde.state.co.us) Adams 12 Five Star Schools describes its online academy as serving grades 5-12 with weekly virtual classes, in-person learning labs, and peer-engagement activities. Douglas County School District says its online program includes social activities and emphasizes community alongside remote instruction. Those descriptions show how districts are marketing online learning less as a separate system than as another district-run option. (newsbreak.com) ### What does this mean for students who stay in classrooms? Colorado’s online enrollment remains concentrated in older grades. The state’s 2023-24 online education snapshot said 69% of online students were in high school. That leaves elementary schools making a different case to families. Ann Schimke’s reporting for Chalkbeat and KUNC said district leaders and educators point to in-person strengths such as fast teacher feedback, social development, and hands-on learning for younger children. (fivestaronline.adams12.org) Those are the features schools are using when families compare a neighborhood classroom with a flexible online schedule. (ed.cde.state.co.us) ### Is the online sector still growing? The Colorado Department of Education’s online learning office says more multi-district online schools could still be added. Chalkbeat reported the State Board of Education unanimously rejected one proposal in March and is scheduled to consider three more on Thursday, May 21. Colorado’s education department also continues to publish online-school data snapshots, mobility reports, and school lists through its Office of Online and Blended Learning. (kunc.org) Those state materials, together with district enrollment decisions for the 2026-27 school year, will show whether local online programs keep more students in their home districts. (ed.cde.state.co.us)