Douglas County School District's two newest elementary schools have permanent names. The DCSD Board of Education approved both Sept. 29, 2026: Echo Bluffs Elementary in RidgeGate's Lyric neighborhood (Lone Tree) and Blue Sky Elementary in Sterling Ranch/Solstice. Both open August 2027 for the 2027-2028 school year, DCSD's first new neighborhood schools in about 15 years, funded by a voter-approved bond issue.
Echo Bluffs Elementary (formerly Elementary School 50)
Location: 11151 Adage Road, Lone Tree, the northwest corner of Adage Road and Lyric Street
Opening: August 2027
Grades: Pre-K through 6th grade
Capacity: 750 students
Mascot/Colors: River Otter, in Aqua Blue, Silver and Black
Principal: Doug Humphreys (former Eagle Ridge Elementary principal, 18 years)
DCSD broke ground on the roughly 84,863-square-foot building on an 8-acre parcel in early February 2026. Source: Prism News
Blue Sky Elementary (formerly Elementary School 51)
Location: 8220 Piney River Ave, Littleton, CO 80125, Sterling Ranch/Solstice
Opening: August 2027
Capacity: 750 students
Mascot/Colors: Bear, in Sky Blue, Dark Blue, Sun Yellow and Sage Green
Principal: Julie Crawford
Blue Sky Elementary broke ground in January 2025 and has been under construction since.
Why It Matters
Both RidgeGate/Lyric and Sterling Ranch have grown fast, and existing schools are feeling the strain. Two new 750-student schools opening the same month will help relieve overcrowding and give families in both areas a neighborhood school option for the first time in roughly 15 years.
Echo Bluffs is one of several projects reshaping the Lyric neighborhood right now, alongside a new King Soopers Marketplace, High Note Regional Park, and The Groove café, which is already open. See everything else in the pipeline on our What's Being Built in Douglas County tracker.
Timeline
- January 2025: Blue Sky Elementary groundbreaking
- Early February 2026: Echo Bluffs Elementary groundbreaking
- Sept. 29, 2026: DCSD Board approves both permanent names
- August 2027: Both schools open
Sources: DCSD Board of Education action, Sept. 29, 2026; DCSD funding site, Echo Bluffs Elementary / Elementary School in Lyric and Blue Sky Elementary / Elementary School in Sterling Ranch; Douglas County Newspress, "Names of DougCo elementary schools 50, 51 announced"; DCSD Superintendent's Week in Review; Prism News, February 2026. Checked Oct. 24, 2026.