School Campus Closures: Evaluating the Financial and Educational Impact
As student enrollment declines nationwide, school districts are shutting down campuses to cut costs. However, recent research suggests that the anticipated financial benefits might not be as substantial as expected.
Across the United States, public schools are closing campuses due to decreasing enrollment numbers and increasing costs. In Cleveland, students have returned to a district that has closed or merged nearly a third of its schools. But questions arise about the effectiveness of these measures in achieving significant savings. Conor Morris from Ideastream Public Media provides insight.
At a Welcome Back To School event at Mound School of the Arts in Cleveland’s Slavic Village, feelings of excitement and nervousness permeate the air. Arts teacher Kristin Plambeck, who has been teaching for over two decades, describes her experience at the newly merged school.
KRISTIN PLAMBECK: “Part of me feels like a first-year teacher (laughter), and another part of me feels like I’ve been doing this so long, I know what I’m doing.”
The district combined Dike School of the Arts, where Plambeck previously taught, with Mound Elementary, forming the new Mound School of the Arts. In total, 29 schools in Cleveland were closed or merged this fall, out of almost 90. Plambeck speaks positively about the transition.
PLAMBECK: “This art room here at Mound School of the Arts is gorgeous. It’s a really nice facility, and I’m feeling very optimistic.”
Enrollment in Cleveland schools has fallen from approximately 74,000 in 2000 to just 34,000 in 2025. School leaders estimate that the closures will save the district $30 million annually, allowing more resources to be focused on the remaining schools. However, new research from Stanford University challenges this assumption. Assistant Professor Francis Pearman, who led the study, questions the effectiveness of closing schools as a cost-saving measure.
FRANCIS PEARMAN: “You know, in industry, we know that the last thing a firm does is close the factory, right? But it seems like in school systems, the first thing you want to do is close the factory, right?”
Pearman highlights that school costs are primarily tied to staff salaries and benefits rather than infrastructure. Additionally, many California schools have experienced funding losses due to decreased student enrollment, sometimes caused by nearby private and charter schools attracting students after public school closures.
Georgetown University’s Marguerite Roza refers to the situation as the “big shrink,” noting that schools have been slow to adjust staffing and operations despite declining enrollment. Over a dozen large districts, from Houston to Philadelphia, are closing schools this year, with more expected to follow.
MARGUERITE ROZA: “So districts might need to really think over the next 10 years, if our enrollment trends continue, what would be a plan that doesn’t – you know, that doesn’t hit the same families again and again and again.”
Research indicates that school closures can negatively impact students’ academic performance both in the short and long term. In Cleveland, the adjustment to new school settings has encountered minor issues, such as students being dropped off at incorrect bus stops and overcrowded classes. Teacher Chris Legrair is concerned about the integration of students from merged schools.
CHRIS LEGRAIR: “I think it’s just the culture, like, so the little rifts between the Mound kids and the DSA kids, and them still holding on to, like, their old identities and us trying to get them to understand, like, now we’re one.”
A district representative states that Cleveland school leaders are satisfied with the initial implementation of the consolidation plan. However, the long-term consequences of these changes in Cleveland and other districts remain to be seen.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
