Poudre School District reviews enrollment survey, launches "Choose PSD" marketing and examines five‑year enrollment projections

Poudre School District leaders presented results of a districtwide enrollment survey and a marketing campaign update at the Sept. 9 board meeting and reviewed a movement analysis and five‑year enrollment projections showing a projected drop in enrollment over the next five years.

The survey, fielded Jan. 13–26 and offered in English, Spanish and Arabic, drew responses from 802 elementary families, 424 middle school families and 378 high school families, officials said. Dr. Duane Schmitz, the district’s chief institutional effectiveness officer, described the results as a perception survey intended to help the district understand family priorities.

“Teachers matter,” Dr. Duane Schmitz said, summarizing a core finding about what families value. “Families emphasize inclusivity, especially for students with special needs.”

District staff said the survey informed the Choose PSD marketing campaign, launched in March 2025. Lauren Hooten, chief of staff, told the board that Google Search ads placed as part of the campaign produced more than 70,000 impressions and about 19,000 clicks, with an unusually high 27% click‑through rate compared with industry benchmarks. Meta (Facebook/Instagram) ads produced roughly 800,000 impressions and 23,000 clicks, at about a 2.9% click‑through rate. The district also ran two billboards (about 90,060 weekly impressions during a two‑month run), mailed a kindergarten piece to about 6,000 households, a district mailer to about 9,900 households with school‑age children and a Valpak mailer to roughly 20,000 households. Hooten said Spanish‑language posts are now standard on the district Instagram account.

Bud Hunt, chief technology officer, presented the movement analysis and the district’s five‑year enrollment projection. He described movement analysis as historical October‑count data showing how families choose schools across district boundaries and between neighborhood, choice and charter options. Hunt said roughly 30% of students attend a school that is not their neighborhood school and that, in 2024, the district had a net “choice out” of about 739 students (more students choosing non‑PSD public options or online programs than choosing into PSD from other districts).

“A five‑year projection is a lot like driving at night,” Hunt told the board. “The closer you are to the headlights, the more accurate it is.” He said the district uses cohort‑survival methods, birth rates, housing trends and local demography to project enrollment and that excluding the COVID years the projections have historically been within about 1%.

The projection table included in board materials shows a district enrollment projection that declines from 25,509 students in 2024 to about 23,050 by the 2028–29 school year. Hunt and staff emphasized the projections’ uncertainty and the district’s preference for conservative estimates for budgeting.

Board members asked for more detailed cross‑tabulations — for example, school rosters showing which students are neighborhood versus opt‑in, and how specific programs at schools correlate with choice patterns — and staff said they would provide matrices and further analysis. Dr. Schmitz and Hooten said the district will continue focus groups, committee engagement (DAB, DAC and others) and outreach to help triangulate survey findings.

The presentation also noted priorities that emerged from the survey: academics, safety and behavior, mental health and belonging, teacher support, and facilities/logistics. Dr. Schmitz said those themes align with the district’s strategic priorities.

The board did not take a vote on the projections or marketing program during the meeting; staff brought the materials for review and directed staff follow‑up and additional data requests.

Sources for this article: presentation by Dr. Duane Schmitz, Dr. Lauren Hooten and Bud Hunt at the Sept. 9, 2025 board meeting; district slide materials and spoken remarks.

Ending: Board members said they expect more detailed reports and a consolidated “one version of the truth” from the district’s comprehensive planning committee later this school year.