US School Closures Are Accelerating as Financial Pain Lies Ahead

A difficult start in Vallejo

Before the first bell at Glen Cove Elementary, Penny Núñez-Brandão looked through the crowd for people she knew. She was starting the year at a new school after her previous one closed, a transition shared by thousands of students around the country.

Vallejo City Unified School District has closed five campuses since 2025, equal to a quarter of its schools. Leaders have also considered cutting up to a third of staff positions as they address a $36 million deficit.

Closures lag enrollment declines

The number of schools has fallen only to around pre-pandemic levels, researchers found. Vallejo enrollment dropped from nearly 18,000 students in fall 2006 to about 9,300; district schools are, on average, 46% full.

Budgets face lasting pressure

Vallejo’s enrollment losses come as birth rates decline and education funding falls. The district also faced the end of temporary COVID-19 relief funding, rising inflation and contractual pay increases, while enrollment was expected to keep dropping.

Superintendent Rubén Aurelio said cuts and closures are difficult for families but needed to adjust districts and budgets to changed circumstances. The article also points to districts in Cleveland, Houston and Philadelphia facing closures.

Savings can prove elusive

Closing schools may bring costs for transporting students, severance for laid-off staff and security at vacant buildings, limiting the money saved. Closures can also harm students’ academic progress and make it harder to attract teachers concerned about job stability.