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Research & Investigation

The research and investigation portion of the master plan is a comprehensive effort to fully understand the physical condition and educational adequacy of existing District facilities. The information that follows is a result of reviewing existing building documents, completing Principal surveys, district staff interviews, and multiple site visits and surveys by architects, engineers, and contractors. The information below becomes the basis on which the Master Plan is built.

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 Demographic Research

Western Demographics was hired to provide a demographics chapter and enrollment forecast for the Elizabeth School District (ESD) masterplan. Western Demographics has extensive experience providing these services in Colorado and throughout the west. Below are Western Demographics findings.

Findings

Interest rates and rising housing costs have created volatility in enrollment growth all over Colorado and elsewhere in the West. Although Elizabeth School District includes many large land developments that have been negatively impacted by interest rates, increasing birth rates and built-in growth in the form of larger numbers of preschool children will increase elementary enrollment soon and augment growth expected from new housing. New housing effects on school enrollments have been forecast based on the best thinking regarding future growth and an assumption that interest rates will normalize to rates that can be afforded by young families in 2024. If rates return to something relatively close to “normal”, the medium enrollment forecast basis shown in this report can be expected. If rates remain high, the low basis can be expected. Below are the enrollment forecast for Elizabeth School District through the year 2031.  

Conclusions

Elementary school enrollments at Running Creek and Singing Hills elementaries will increase as a result of elevated birth rates and continuing housing growth. The increase will exceed school capacities by the 2026-27 school year if interest rates moderate in 2024 and later than that if interest rates remain high. Middle school enrollment will increase but will remain within the current middle school facility capacity. High school enrollments will remain stable due to large grades exiting the system and neighborhood aging in some mature areas. Below is a chart that shows the program and functional capacity of each school and how it relates to the projected growth outlined above.

Other observations and school impacts are detailed in the complete demographics report that can be found at the link below.

Download Full Demographic Report

 District Facility Summary 

The chart above is included in the master plan to allow for quick comparison of campuses across the District. It includes physical site and building size along with general configuration information and CDE assessment information. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) assessment information includes the Facility Condition Index (FCI) score for each of the facilities. This allows quick review and comparison of the condition of the facilities across the District.

The chart above also includes current building student capacity and how it relates to the anticipated 2023 enrollment through the anticipated 2031 enrollment at each school. This allows a quick analysis of how a building facility will handle the student enrollment projections over the next 5 years.  Based on the anticipated growth indicated in the demographics report by Western Demographics and the capacity data collected at each school, the elementary schools will be over capacity by the 2026 – 2027 school year.  Middle school and high school will remain within their respective capacities up to 2031 - 2032 school year.

Identified Facility Needs

It is imperative to the master capital planning process that the condition of the existing district facilities is accurately assessed and objectively quantified. The following steps were taken to accurately assess and quantify the condition of the existing facilities.

• Review facility condition information
• Identify Current Problems
• Evaluate and prioritize deficiencies

Below is an overall pie chart that consolidates this information and creates a comparison of overall deficiency categories, and overall district-wide deferred maintenance by facility.

The following links provide a more detailed description of the Assessment Process and Matrix Scoring System, as well as an Assessment Data Summary that includes all District Facilities and costs for the deficiency categories listed above.

Assessment Matrix Scoring System

Detailed individual assessments for each facility can be found in the campus summary links in the findings sections below.   

 Singing Hills Elementary School Findings

The Singing Hills Elementary School was originally constructed in 1995. Alterations were made in 2016. The Singing Hills Elementary School serves the northern portion of the district and is located off Singing Hills Road. The building is a split face masonry building and in general is in good condition. However, general repair and maintenance items are required. During discussions with staff, it was pointed out that air conditioning is needed to handle temperature differentials in the swing seasons. Other repair items that were identified below. Upgrade HVAC controls Replace lighting with LED Replace Interior Door Hardware Door hardware Replace some interior flooring including carpet Mechanical systems need to be identified for replacement. Window Replacement Safety and Security – New Controlled Entry Vestibule As noted in the Demographic Research, the Singing Hills Elementary School enrollment will exceed building capacity in the 26-27 school year. Enrollment growth is the main concern for this facility.  Download Summary by School:  Singing Hills Elementary School Data

 Running Creek Elementary School Findings

 Elizabeth Middle School Findings

Elizabeth Middle School was originally constructed in 1977 and functioned as the middle school and high school facility until the new high school was constructed in 1999. Additions and alternations were completed in 1984 to add classrooms and expand the cafeteria and in 1989, the auditorium and music rooms were added to the building. While the building still functions well as a middle school, the age of the building is starting to become apparent and many building systems are reaching their useful life and need to be replaced. VCT flooring needs to be replaced Carpet flooring needs to be replaced Replace all ext. soffits Asphalt parking lots need to be roto milled and resurfaced HVAC System condition? Some need to be replaced Refinish the gym flooring LED lighting in the gym Lighting controls Replace classroom casework Replace all lockers Replace all interior wood doors frames and hardware Replace all ceiling tiles Renovate all restrooms to be ADA compliant  Age and physical building conditions are the main concerns for the Elizabeth Middle School facility.  Download Summary by School:   Elizabeth Middle School Data

 Elizabeth High School Findings

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Quick Links / Additional Information

BEST Program Information
Colorado Department of Energy (CDE) Assessment
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