Jenkins Middle School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has fully reopened and welcomed students back after being shut down in January 2025. The school was closed due to major structural issues found by the fire department during an inspection.

Background

The Colorado Springs Fire Department had been monitoring the building for several years and had noticed cracking and physical separation of walls and floors. In March 2025, the school announced plans to reopen as early as August of that year. However, when the school did reopen in August 2025, it was only partially, with only 6th and 7th graders returning to Jenkins Middle School, while 8th graders remained at Doherty High School.

According to officials, the problem may have been caused by the school being built too close to a nearby creek, which may have led to issues with the building settling. The District 11 Superintendent, Michael Gaal, stated that the district decided to completely close the school rather than applying temporary fixes. “We made the decision a year and a half ago that said, ‘No more Band-Aids, no more micro openings, no more repainting hallways,” Superintendent Gaal said. “We are open, we are safe and we are ready for the next 75 years right here.”

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.