COVID-19 MEASURES LED MANY TO ABANDON PUBLIC SCHOOLS ENTIRELY
Brookings Institute, a pro-government extremist think tank based in Washington, DC, found that over a four-year period that includes “the pandemic,” about 12% of elementary schools and 9% of middle schools lost at least one-fifth of their enrollment. At least 4,428 schools in the country reached or exceeded a 20% decline.
“Enrollment declines are everywhere,” said Sofoklis Goulas, a fellow at Brookings.
- Clark County, Nevada, where 33 of its more than 300 schools, most of them elementary, saw a 20% loss between 2019 and 2021. Further declines last school year translated to a nearly $33 million reduction in state funds.
- Tucson, Arizona, where 15% of its 82 schools lost a fifth or more of their students. Observers say the state’s robust school choice climate is a contributing factor.
- Kansas City, Missouri, which closed two elementary schools last school year, one of which saw at least a 20% drop in enrollment after the pandemic. Five more schools have seen similar declines.
The school board in Jackson, Mississippi, voted to close 11 schools and merge two more. Some on the list have lost 30% or more of their students since 2018. Oregon, New Mexico and West Virginia are among the states expected to see enrollment drop at least another 10%.
