Dive Brief:
- New Orleans’ birthrate has declined steadily since Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, reaching a record-low in 2024 and fueling ongoing concerns over the city’s public school enrollment, according to an analysis by nonprofit New Schools for New Orleans.
- Between 2005 and 2006, the under-18 population in New Orleans dropped from 113,134 to 36,879 children and teens, the February report found. While that number began to rebound to 79,358 in 2015, the youth population has since fallen 11% to 70,770 in 2024.
- While enrollment in NOLA Public Schools has decreased from 49,071 to 44,808 students between the 2019-20 and 2025-26 school years, New Schools for New Orleans projects that figure will drop another 8.6% — or roughly 4,250 students — by the 2029-30 school year.
Dive Insight:
Despite NOLA Public Schools’ shrinking enrollment, New Schools for New Orleans sees a silver lining: Closures and consolidations since the 2021-22 school year have provided an opportunity to eliminate both low-quality facilities and low-performing schools, the nonprofit’s report said.
Between the 2021-22 and 2025-26 school years, the district has closed or consolidated nine K-8 schools, which New Schools for New Orleans said has helped improve physical learning environments. Notably, the report said, 3,000 more students are attending classes in high-quality school buildings compared to the 2021-22 school year.
NOLA Public Schools also closed or consolidated five high schools from 2021-22 to 2025-26. Shuttering low-performing schools has helped the district improve academic outcomes, the report added…