Over 1,100 schools in the United States were closed during the 2025-26 academic year, the most since the start of the pandemic. Declining birth rates, falling pupil numbers and reduced education funding have forced districts to close schools.
A total of 1,156 schools were closed during the academic year, per an analysis of federal data. But enrollment has fallen faster than school closures, raising concern, per a report.
School Closures Reached Their Highest Level Since the Pandemic
Vallejo City Unified School District provides an informative illustration of the economic challenges school districts are experiencing. The district, which had around 18,000 students in the fall of 2006, now has around 9,300.
The district had already closed five schools since 2025 or one-quarter of its schools and was debating eliminating roughly one-third of its staff amid a $36 million shortfall. Similar closures have occurred in Cleveland, Houston and Philadelphia.
Falling Birth Rates Contributed to Declining Enrollment
Public school enrollment across the nation has fallen by more than 1.4 million students, about 3 percent, between fall 2019 and 2024, per an analysis of federal education data.
The main cause is falling birth rates, but it also includes changes in immigration, voucher schemes for private schools and more people choosing to homeschool.
Research groups Bellwether and WestEd estimate falling pupil numbers could mean states lose $11.5 billion in school funding each year by the 2030-31 academic year.
Parents Faced Disruption After Their Children’s Schools Closed
School closures have meant families have had to consider new schools, longer journeys and other options. Some parents have moved their children to home-school, charter or private schools.
Kimberly Núñez-Brandão, whose daughter goes to an elementary school in Vallejo that has closed, is worried about overcrowding at the new school. She learned her daughter’s fifth-grade class has 32 students.
“Families are literally packing up their kids and moving away,” she said, per AP News.
Caitlin Jackson and her husband have also reconsidered their options due to concerns about class sizes and safety. They have decided to try a charter school run by the district, but have not ruled out private education.
Districts Struggled to Balance Budgets and Retain Students
Closing schools has not always saved districts money, as they still have costs to pay for transport, severance payments and upkeep of empty buildings.
Research found that pupils who have had to move due to school closures often suffer long-term setbacks in their reading and maths skills, especially if they move to a lower-performing school.
Vallejo’s superintendent Rubén Aurelio said they needed to focus their money on fewer pupils. “We’re not just closing schools to close schools. We’re trying to right-size a district that was built for a lot more kids,” he said.
While they plan to renovate and open a Tagalog school to attract families, they still struggle to keep pupils.
