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Dive Brief:

• St. Louis Public Schools wants to close over half, or 37 of its 68 schools, by the 2026-27 school year, according to a proposal the district is to present Tuesday night to the school board. The change would come as student enrollment is expected to continue declining and school buildings districtwide are at roughly half capacity on average.
• The district anticipates that student enrollment will decline from 18,000 to nearly 15,400 between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. This decrease is likely driven by an uncertain number of families displaced by a damaging tornado that struck the city in May, along with already expected enrollment declines. 
• The school closures would save the district $182.4 million by 2030-31, according to St. Louis Public Schools. Student enrollment is expected to drop 30% over the next 10 years.  

Dive Insight:

The proposed school closures in St. Louis come at a time when districts nationwide are facing headwinds from strained budgets and declining enrollment.

If the plan is approved, and fewer than half of St. Louis schools remain open, the district projects an average student capacity across its buildings of 84% by 2030-31. 

Ray Cummings, president of American Federation of Teachers St. Louis Local 420, said he’s more concerned about the students and families who were displaced by the tornadoes and are preparing to start the new school year in the coming weeks than he is about any closure plans for the 2026-27 school year.

The May tornado impacted a dozen of the district’s schools, which together enroll almost 3,000 students, according to St. Louis Public Schools. Only five of the 12 schools are still expected to reopen for the fall. 

Cummings expressed surprise at the district's proposal. The expected Tuesday night presentation feels like putting the “cart in front of the horse,” he said, given these decisions don’t need to be made immediately.

“Right now we have parents and families and communities that have been traumatized by the tornado,” he said, adding that the district should focus on what’s happening this school year instead of sowing panic about school closures and potential staff layoffs down the road.

St. Louis Public Schools declined to comment before the district’s presentation Tuesday night.