Chicago schools face enrollment crisis, 150 buildings half-empty

A new report showed that declining enrollment in Chicago leaves about 150 of its schools half-empty.

The report, authored by ChalkBeat and ProPublica, found that 47 schools are operating “at less than one-third capacity, leading to high costs and limited course offerings.”

Chicago Public Schools had roughly 325,000 students enrolled this year after losing 70,000 students from a decade ago, according to the report.

“District officials project that three school years from now, there could be as few as 300,000 or, in a best-case scenario, as many as 334,000 students. Those estimates are based in part on the city’s sharply falling birth rates. Citywide, from 2011 to 2021, the number of births dropped by more than 43%,” the authors of the report wrote.

While the city faces enrollment struggles, the city spends about $18,700 per student. Some schools are “double or triple” that number the report stated. One school that enrolled 28 students costs $93,000 students.

DuSable High School, which had declining enrollment, costs almost $50,000 per student, according to the report. DuSable is among 47 schools operating at less than one-third capacity. 

Frederick Douglass Academy High School, which has 28 students this year, reportedly costs $93,000 per student.

Per the report, “Many of those schools are in historic buildings that need millions of dollars in repairs.”

A ProPublica and Chalkbeat analysis found that “students in the city’s smallest schools have fewer courses to choose from and often miss out on clubs, extracurricular activities and sports. Chicago’s underenrolled high schools are more likely to have lower graduation and college enrollment rates. They tend to struggle with chronic truancy and higher dropout rates.”

Chicago Teachers Union leaders reportedly look to Chicago’s progressive agenda to lure families into the city to fill in classroom seats.

“CTU leaders insist that the city is actually poised for a population turnaround. During President Donald Trump’s second administration, Chicago under Johnson can bill itself as a progressive refuge — a place that protects immigrants, abortion care, LGBTQ+ rights and access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth and adults, said Jackson Potter, vice president of the CTU,” the report stated.

The report explains further that the city has avoided school closures for several years due to pressure from the Chicago Teachers Union and a closure moratorium mandated in 2013.

CEO Pedro Martinez, who is leaving his position soon, told Chalkbeat and ProPublica that there are too many schools serving a few students and cited backlash for pushing to close or merge schools.

Fox News Digital reached out to Chicago Public Schools, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Frederick Douglass Academy High School for comment but did not immediately hear back.