Florida district mulls closing, consolidating 34 schools to ‘rightsize’ under-enrolled spaces

To address a “chronic under-enrollment problem,” the sixth-largest U.S. school system is eyeing 34 of its buildings as targets to repurpose or potentially close during a multi-phase plan.

“What we’re trying to do is spend more money on the kids we have and less on the empty seats in an oversized footprint,” Broward County Public Schools board member Allan Zeman told WLRN South Florida. “It’s really just that simple.”

This plan, described on the district’s website as “Redefining Our Schools,” has a timeline ending in January 2026 to finish notifying the community of all the adopted changes.

“To remain financially stable and strong for the future, we must rightsize our district,” said Howard Hepburn, the district’s superintendent. “That means some difficult decisions will be necessary, including school closures.”

Enrollment below 70% capacity

Many schools on the list enroll students at less than 70% of their capacity, which is how the district defines under-enrolled institutions, according to the news article.

“Some of the schools the board is looking at are only about 40% enrolled. These include Silver Lakes Elementary, Panther Run Elementary and Palm Cove Elementary in the south part of the county.”

However, the district is also pondering the future of middle schools such as Ramblewood Middle and Sawgrass Springs Middle in Coral Springs, which are nearly at 80% capacity.

“Some [schools] are perennially under-enrolled year after year, some are not, but they may be in a cluster to support a discussion about possibilities for under-enrolled schools,” Hepburn said.

For example, although high schools didn’t make the list of institutions under consideration for closure, they may be able to absorb attendance from middle schools, according to WLRN.

“Hepburn was clear that the Redefining Our Schools plan does not mean that the schools on the list are all slated for closure. Rather the board will explore strategies such as consolidating schools, expanding K-8 schools, expanding technical schools and public-private partnership opportunities, among others.”

Declining public-school attendance in Florida and nationwide

The district has over 45,000 available seats across its 325 schools, including charters – with approximately 10,000 students leaving in the last academic year, the news outlet reported.

This decline mirrors the more than 1 million students withdrawing from the U.S. public-school system since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As public schools become increasingly underutilized and districts face financial pressure, state and local policymakers must adapt to current enrollment levels and the projected declines in the decade ahead,” the Reason Foundation recently noted. “These trends will affect state and local budgets, bond elections and teacher pension obligations.”

As a result, some public schools have turned to new initiatives in efforts to win back attendees. These include recruitment by consultants who receive a bonus for every child re-enrolled.

“I believe in choice,” said Brian J. Stephens, founder and CEO of the recruitment company Caissa. “If you’re going to be a good American – Republican, Democrat, whatever you want to be – then let everybody compete.”

The Caissa firm services more than 100 districts trying to persuade families to choose public schools over alternatives such as private schools, homeschooling and charters.