Cheyenne School Redistricting: Parents Seek Clarity Before Nov. 16 Vote

Laramie County School District 1 parents face a final decision on where their children will attend elementary school before the 2026-27 academic year begins. The district is redistricting students from Jessup Elementary, which will close after this summer break. Trustees must vote on new boundaries on Nov. 16.

Jessup Elementary is the third school to close under a 2024 study that identified ten facilities for elimination to save money. Miller Elementary closed in 2025, and Deming Elementary will close next year. The current Jessup student body will be absorbed by Prairie Wind Elementary and Davis Elementary. Hobbs Elementary boundaries will adjust to offset changes at Davis.

District administration presents three boundary options. All scenarios result in Prairie Wind and Davis absorbing the former Jessup area. Andy Knapp, the district's executive director of support operations, told the board on Nov. 2 that squared-off boundaries make bus routes more efficient. He noted that this approach maintains the concept of neighborhood schools despite fluctuating enrollment numbers.

The options differ in how they divide the area. One proposal uses Brittney Road as a line, creating the most geometrically regular zones. Another uses Interstate 25 as the dividing line. Some configurations would force students on one side of a street to attend a different school than their neighbors on the other side. In every scenario, some students will travel longer distances to Prairie Wind, which is located to the north.

At a parent meeting on Nov. 5, Superintendent Stephen Newton addressed concerns about class sizes. He stated that Davis and Prairie Wind have vacant classrooms to accommodate the new students without significantly altering existing class structures. Newton also explained the waiver process. Parents can apply to keep their children at a different school if they do not wish to attend the newly assigned neighborhood school.

Newton said the district will process Jessup boundary waivers first. If a waiver is approved, the student can attend the preferred school if it has capacity. However, students attending schools outside their assigned zone with a waiver cannot use district buses. Parents must provide transportation. Newton emphasized that the district has not yet determined the fate of the Jessup building, which will be addressed by the end of summer 2027.

The board will review parent input for two weeks before the Nov. 16 vote. One parent told Newton that her fourth-grader has been with the same classmates since kindergarten. She asked the district to keep those connections in mind while deciding the new boundaries.