In another mark of declining public school enrollments across North Carolina, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) recently announced that it might need to close three elementary schools due to a dip in student population and the need to balance its budget.
The CHCCS school board voted 4-3 on March 6 to conduct a school closure study on whether to shutter Seawell Elementary School, Glenwood Elementary School, and Ephesus Elementary School by the 2027-2028 school year. District officials warned that without such drastic action, more severe staff reductions would be unavoidable as CHCCS grapples with a projected $3- $7 million budget deficit by spring.
The split vote was because some members of the board argued that the district should consider all five schools originally discussed during a 2024 bond process rather than narrowing the scope to just three. The two schools taken off the list were Frank Porter Graham Elementary and Estes Hills Elementary.
A final decision by the board is expected by June.
“This decision to close schools is to address the reality of public education funding and the pressures that impact our financial decision,” said board chair Riza Jenkins in opening remarks.
“We can no longer staff or maintain facilities as though we are still a district of 12,000 students. Enrollment has declined significantly and continuing to operate at that scale is not sustainable. If we do not right size our facilities and operations, we limit our ability to innovate, invest strategically, and efficiently support the students we do have,” added board member Meredith Ballew.
Brian Link, president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Association of Educators, warned that without school closures, the district faces immediate personnel cuts.
“There are over 30 teachers who are going to have to be reduced just for reallocations from the reduction in population,” Link told the board. “If we do not act now on the school choice with bold leadership, that number is going to be far greater and it’s going to happen far sooner.”
The announced move by the CHCCS school board is the latest in a series of recent moves by school districts to shore up budgets due to declining enrollments. Data released by the NC Department of Public Instruction in December showed that 105 of the state’s 115 school districts experienced enrollment declines in the fall compared to the previous school year, as reported by the News & Observer.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the trend, with public school enrollments dipping by 5.4% — or 76,175 students — since 2019. During that same period, enrollments in public charter schools have surged by 47%.
Meanwhile, enrollments in the Opportunity Scholarship Program, the state’s voucher for private school tuition, have increased as well. The program had around 23,000 students in 2022 and now has over 105,000.
State data put the number of homeschool students at around 165,243 for the 2024-2025 school year.
“This financial strain is not unique to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and other school systems could face similar difficult choices if enrollment trends continue,” said Bryce Fiedler, director of the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network at the John Locke Foundation. “Districts must be proactive, prioritize student achievement, and evaluate all options to remain competitive in the growing school choice environment.”
In addition to the expansion of school choice, public school districts are being pressured financially due to declining birth rates. During recent testimony in front of a legislative oversight committee, CHCCS superintendent Rodney Trice pointed to fewer births being a primary reason for the decline in elementary school attendance.