PHOENIX — Dozens of Arizona schools have closed in recent years, squeezed by declining enrollment, aging infrastructure and rising costs. The culprits are familiar: families moving to the outer edges of the metro, lower birth rates and the long financial hangover from the pandemic.
But look across the greater Phoenix area right now, and you’ll find construction fencing going up, groundbreakings being held and bonds being passed. A surprising number of schools aren’t closing; they’re building. And it turns out, there isn’t just one reason why.
Reason one: Too many kids, not enough classrooms. In the fast-growing West Valley, the school construction story has nothing to do with decline. It’s the opposite problem entirely…