For some schools, it may take decades to reverse pandemic-related enrollment declines. As a result, many of them are forced to close their doors, especially those that are underperforming.
Approximately one in 12 public schools—or roughly 5,100 buildings—experienced a “substantial” enrollment decline during the pandemic, new research from education think tank Thomas B. Fordham Institute affirms. The researchers define “substantial” as an enrollment dip of 20% or higher.
Schools identified by their states as chronically low performance were more than twice as likely to experience enrollment declines during the pandemic, the research adds.
“Traditionally, when confronted with difficult challenges such as these, district leaders have dragged their feet,” the research reads. “There’s an obvious course of action, but like the rest of us, they know that closing schools is unpopular and divisive.”
Many districts continue operating schools despite having large enrollment gaps. In Milwaukee, for instance, at least forty schools are “significantly under-enrolled.” In Chicago, nearly three in five buildings are underutilized. And in Broward County, Florida, 67 schools are operating at less than 70% capacity.
Addressing enrollment declines
Amid enrollment declines, school leaders are forced to make difficult decisions. Milwaukee Public Schools leaders are considering mergers and closures, citing enrollment declines, outdated infrastructure and staffing vacancies, according to WISN 12.
The district told the news outlet that it’s too early to note which schools might be impacted. The district will present its Long-Range Facilities Master Plan during a series of town hall meetings this fall to address its 14% enrollment drop over the last 10 years.
Similarly, Chicago Public Schools only experienced a less than 1% uptick in enrollment this school year, despite a significant influx in English learners. Illinois Policy reports. It’s the second year in a row the district has recorded enrollment growth after 11 years of declines from 2011 to 2022.
Preliminary data from the Chicago Board of Education reveals a 1.6% increase in the number of Hispanic students while the number of students learning to speak English has increased by 12.4%.
More from DA: Deepfakes: Why they are now K12’s problem, too
Denver Public Schools is also making a case for school closures in a series of community meetings, Chalkbeat Colorado reports.
“We don’t have enough scholars to fill our buildings, and that’s the harsh reality,” Superintendent Alex Marrero said during the district’s first meeting. On Nov. 7, Marrero will release a list of schools he will recommend closing due to falling enrollment.
“This is us making sure we can address the inequities,” said Marrero.
“It’s painful,” he added during the meeting. “Some will say it’s even brutal as we engage in the process. But after year one, year two, we see the benefits.”
School closures are a troublesome process. We encourage you to take a look at some of the latest research outlining how leaders can bring transparency to the process to ensure students are supported during closures, including this commentary from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab.
