District overview
Adams County School District 14
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Who runs Adams 14 and how is it funded?
Adams County School District 14 serves about 5,500 students in Commerce City, Colorado. A five-member elected board sets the goals (called Ends) and checks the superintendent against limits (called Executive Limitations). Money comes from the state school funding formula and from local property taxes, and the district also has voter-approved bond money for building projects. The state has ordered improvement work at the district, Adams City High School and Central Elementary.
Local share is larger
A district sheet for 2026-27 says 55% of total program funding is local and 45% is state.
State funding gap
The same sheet counts a cumulative $95.4 million lost to the state's Budget Stabilization Factor from 2009 to 2024.
Bond money
An August 2026 update lists school-by-school bond projects, led by a $77 million junior high at Summit Heights.
State oversight
The district stays under CDE progress monitoring, although Central Elementary and Adams City High School were reported off the accountability clock in September 2026.
None of this means the district is poorly run. The board documents show the state orders changing and several bond projects finished, and they do not show a final state rating.
Where the district stands
Major projects
Summit Heights junior high (bond)
in progressBeam signing is complete. 18.9% of the $77 million budget was spent by August 2026. The board approved a $587,541 architecture addendum in February 2026.
- Architecture addendum approved ($587,541)
- Bond update shows $14.5M spent
Funding
Voter-approved bond plus $8 million bond premium
Bond upgrades at existing schools
in progressSafety vestibules, playgrounds, turf mini-pitches, HVAC and furniture across elementary schools and Adams City High School; electric bus chargers are in place.
- Playground and mini-pitch proposals reviewed
- Committee toured summer projects
Funding
Voter-approved bond
Adams 14 online school
launched Sept. 16, 2026A pilot for grades 7-12 capped at 50 students, aimed at students who are not attending in person.
- Launch with 6-8 students
- Board study-session update
Funding
Not stated
Recent news
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Practical guides to school phone policies, district budgets, and administrator hiring.
Explore resources →Built from BoardDocs agendas, minutes and attached packets for Adams 14 Board of Education meetings from Dec 2025 to Nov 2026, plus the district's Board of Education web page.
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