Both Wheat Ridge school sites closed in 2023 and are still owned by Jeffco Public Schools. The city is working to buy Wilmore-Davis, keep part of it as a park and convey the building to Spectra Centers, while Kullerstrand’s future waits on the November 2026 ballot.
Jeffco Public Schools closed 16 elementary schools at the end of the 2022-23 school year, and two of them were in Wheat Ridge: Kullerstrand Elementary at 12225 W 38th Ave and Wilmore-Davis Elementary at 7975 W 41st Ave. Both buildings have sat largely empty since, but their fields and playgrounds have stayed in use as informal neighborhood open space.
That is why their future matters beyond the school district. Together the two sites cover close to 18 acres in established Wheat Ridge neighborhoods. What happens to them affects nearby streets, park access and, for the homes around them, what a buyer sees out the back fence.
Jason Sirois is a Denver Realtor with FORM at Compass and a Wheat Ridge resident. Here is where each site stands as of mid-October 2026, how the city and the school district are handling the sale process, and how the November 3 ballot ties in.
Why did Kullerstrand and Wilmore-Davis close?
The Jeffco Board of Education voted unanimously on November 10, 2022 to close 16 elementary schools, citing years of declining enrollment that accelerated during the pandemic, a budget deficit and the difficulty of offering consistent programs at small schools. Kullerstrand and Wilmore-Davis were both on the list and closed after the 2022-23 school year.
Kullerstrand students were assigned to Prospect Valley Elementary. We covered that change and how to check current school assignments in our post on Kullerstrand Elementary and Applewood Knolls listings. Under the district’s consolidation plan, Wilmore-Davis students were directed to Stevens Elementary. School assignments can change, so confirm any address with Jeffco’s school locator before relying on it.
Who owns the closed school sites now?
Jeffco Public Schools still owns both properties. The district agreed to wait until Wheat Ridge finished two long-range plans, its City Plan and its Parks and Recreation plan, which were adopted in fall 2025. In February 2026 the school board declared nine district properties surplus, including both Wheat Ridge schools.
Jeffco’s surplus process gives the local city the first opportunity to make a proposal. In March 2026, Wheat Ridge, working with Jeffco and the brokerage JLL, issued a request for information looking for partners to reuse the parts of each site the city did not plan to keep as parkland.
| Item | Kullerstrand | Wilmore-Davis |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 12225 W 38th Ave | 7975 W 41st Ave |
| Site size | About 10.7 acres | About 7.2 acres |
| Closed | End of 2022-23 school year | End of 2022-23 school year |
| Park area the city wants to keep | About 7 acres | About 2 to 2.5 acres |
| Partner selected | Not yet | Spectra Centers |
| Next step | City update after the Nov 2026 ballot | Purchase and resale agreements, then closing |
What is happening at Wilmore-Davis?
Wilmore-Davis is further along. The city received multiple responses to its request for information, including residential, reuse and demolition proposals, and in June 2026 City Council backed Spectra Centers, a Colorado-based operator of a state-approved facility school, as its preferred partner.
Under the plan described on the city’s closed school properties page, Wheat Ridge would buy the whole property from Jeffco, keep about 2.5 acres on the north side as a neighborhood park, and convey about 4.5 acres, including the existing school building, to Spectra. Because the building would stay in school use, the city says no zoning change is needed. Early park ideas include a playground, a small soccer field and a pavilion, but no design has been adopted.
The price to the district is $2.84 million, which matches the appraisal of the land as currently zoned, according to the Canyon Courier. The same appraisal valued the land at $3.46 million if it were developed with apartments at up to 17 units per acre. The Jeffco school board was scheduled to take up the sale on September 10, 2026, and both the school board and City Council had to approve the agreements. After approval, the Courier reported, closing was expected to take three to five months. Spectra had hoped to open in January 2027, and the city has cautioned that the timing could slip.
What is happening at Kullerstrand?
Kullerstrand is larger, would cost more to acquire, and has no partner yet. The city received six proposals for the site and is still evaluating them. Its goal is to keep about 7 of the roughly 10.7 acres as parks and recreation space and find a partner for the remaining area, which includes the building.
The fields are already part of daily life in the area. The site has a 9-v-9 and a 7-v-7 soccer field that city parks staff maintain under agreements with Jeffco, and a playground built in 2020 with Great Outdoors Colorado, city and district funding. Those agreements require public access through about 2040, so a change in ownership would likely mean amending them.
Zoning matters here too. Kullerstrand is zoned residential, so any use other than a school would need a rezoning, with the public hearings that come with it. The city has said staff will return to City Council with a Kullerstrand update after the November 2026 election, because buying the site depends on the funding outcome.
How does ballot issue 2A connect to the school sites?
Wheat Ridge ballot issue 2A asks voters whether to raise the city sales and use tax by 1.0% starting January 1, 2027, raising up to $11.7 million in the first full fiscal year. The ballot question lists several uses, and one of them is the “preservation of community spaces at Wilmore Davis and Kullerstrand Elementary Schools.” The others are street and infrastructure maintenance, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, replacing the Anderson Park outdoor pool, and new police and city services facilities. We explained the full measure in our post on the Wheat Ridge sales tax ballot question.
The ballot language does not say how much of the revenue would go to the school sites, and we did not find a published acquisition estimate for Kullerstrand. Separately, the city has already budgeted $2 million in open space funds toward park land at the two sites, according to the Jeffco Transcript. As with any ballot measure, this post explains what is proposed and does not take a position on how to vote.
What it means for nearby homeowners
- Near Wilmore-Davis, the plan keeps the building in school use and sets aside a park on the north side along W 42nd Ave, so the site would not become a large new housing development under the current proposal.
- Near Kullerstrand, the long-term use is still open. The city’s stated goal is to keep most of the site as fields and park, but that depends on funding and on which partner, if any, is chosen.
- Sellers near either site can point buyers to the city’s public project page for the current status rather than relying on word of mouth.
For more on the area, see our Wheat Ridge community page. If you own near one of these sites and want to talk through timing for a sale or purchase, Jason and the FORM team are happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kullerstrand Elementary being torn down?
No decision has been made. Jeffco still owns the site, the city has not chosen a partner, and the city plans to return to City Council with an update after the November 2026 election.
What is going into the old Wilmore-Davis Elementary?
Wheat Ridge selected Spectra Centers to reuse the school building as a state-approved facility school, with about 2 to 2.5 acres kept as a city park. The sale agreements required approval from both the Jeffco school board and City Council.
How much is Wheat Ridge paying for Wilmore-Davis?
The reported price is $2.84 million for the full property, matching its appraised value as currently zoned, according to the Canyon Courier.
Will the Kullerstrand soccer fields stay open?
The city’s goal is to keep about 7 acres as park and recreation space, including the fields. The playground’s grant agreements also require public access through about 2040.
Could the school sites become apartments?
Kullerstrand is zoned residential. Wilmore-Davis is planned for school and park use under the current proposal. Kullerstrand’s partner is undecided, and any non-school use there would require a rezoning with public hearings.
Where do students who would have attended Kullerstrand go now?
Kullerstrand’s students were assigned to Prospect Valley Elementary when the school closed. Confirm any specific address with Jeffco’s school locator.
This article is for general information only and reflects published information as of October 2026. Property transactions, school assignments and ballot outcomes can change; check with the City of Wheat Ridge and Jeffco Public Schools for current details.
