Scholl enrollment in Massachusetts is at a 30-year low. With 275,000 extra seats in schools operating below 80% capacity, school officials at districts across the state are weighing the costs of closing or merging schools.
These decisions are not confined to urban schools; they affect rural and suburban areas as well. Acton-Boxborough and Belchertown, both in Hampshire County, are closing an elementary school in June. The Boston Globe reported that Boston is also closing three schools this summer as it aims to eliminate nearly one-fifth of its schools.
The looming shutdowns are expected to add to more than three dozen public schools that have closed or consolidated since the COVID-19 pandemic upended student learning. The list includes closed elementary schools in the Cambridge, North Middlesex, and Wellesley districts, as well as the closure or merger of many more charter schools…