A recent study highlights a significant decrease in school registrations in Chicago, leaving around 150 schools underutilized.
The findings indicate that 47 schools are functioning with less than a third of their capacity, facing high operational costs alongside limited course options. This comes as Chicago Public Schools reported registering approximately 325,000 students this year, a drop of 70,000 over the past decade.
District staff forecast a potential range of student enrollment, expecting figures between 300,000 and 334,000, influenced partly by the city’s rapidly decreasing birth rate, which has plummeted by more than 43% from 2011 to 2021.
While the city grapples with enrollment issues, it allocates around $18,700 per student. Some schools report costs that are “double or triple” this amount. For instance, Frederick Douglas Academy, with just 28 students, incurs a staggering cost of $93,000 per student.
Furthermore, Dusable High School, with declining enrollment, costs nearly $50,000 per student and is among the 47 institutions operating below their capacity.
The report notes that many of these schools are housed in historic buildings that demand substantial repair investments.
Analysis from Propublica and Chalkbeat reveals that smaller schools often offer fewer course options, extracurricular activities, and sports, leading to lower graduation and college enrollment rates among their students.
Leaders of the Chicago Teachers Union are reportedly advocating for initiatives to attract families to the city in hopes of filling classroom seats, aligning with a progressive agenda. They assert that the city is witnessing a demographic shift, especially under the current administration, which promotes immigration rights, abortion access, and support for LGBTQ+ issues.
For several years, the city has been hesitant to close schools, influenced by pressure from the Teachers Union and a moratorium established in 2013.
CEO Pedro Martinez, who will be departing his role soon, mentioned the challenge posed by the number of schools serving such small populations, acknowledging the backlash against consolidating or closing schools.
Efforts to gather comments from Chicago Public Schools, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Frederick Douglas Academy High School were unsuccessful at this time.
