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A report by The 74 describes how declining numbers of children are affecting district, charter and private schools, including closures in Atlanta. The report links the pressure to falling birth rates and enrollment, while noting that districts continue to face the most severe effects.
Falling birth rates and shrinking enrollment are affecting charter and private schools as well as traditional public districts, according to a report by The 74 that describes school closures and financial strain in Atlanta and other communities. Two Atlanta KIPP charter schools closed in June, while the city’s district is planning facility changes as fewer children enter school.
The report focuses on KIPP Soul Primary and Soul Academy, which shared a campus in a predominantly Black neighborhood on Atlanta’s west side. The schools were included in Atlanta Public Schools’ plan to repurpose facilities amid declining enrollment, but they closed at the end of the last school year. District families affected by the broader plan have until the end of this school year to prepare for changes scheduled for fall 2027.
Atlanta’s private schools are also facing pressure. In a letter to families before an abrupt April closure, board members at a small private school for high-achieving students said applications at private schools across the city had fallen by more than 20%. That figure is the board members’ account, as reported by The 74; the source material does not provide an independent citywide enrollment dataset to verify it.
Georgia’s fertility rate fell 17% from 2007 to 2023, according to figures cited in the report. The article also cites an ExcelinEd analysis projecting that New Mexico will have nearly 32% fewer children entering kindergarten in 2028, and says Illinois is close behind with a projected 31% decline. Those projections concern future kindergarten entry, not current enrollment at every school.
Choice schools are not the only institutions facing reductions, and the report says district schools have experienced the sharpest effects. Federal labor data showed public-school staffing was down about 29,000 employees over the previous year, according to the August jobs report cited in the article. Enrollment consultant Brian Eschbacher said districts may reduce central-office staffing before attempting politically difficult school consolidations.
Closures Reshape Local School Choices
Fewer children can leave schools with empty seats and less revenue, putting pressure on staffing, services and whether a campus can remain open. The closures affect more than the organizations operating schools: families may lose nearby facilities, familiar staff and established community routines.
That impact is visible in Atlanta, where parents have raised concerns about losing neighborhood schools and students may have to travel farther or adjust to unfamiliar settings. Hazel Smith, whose five-year-old son attends Finch Elementary, told The 74 she values the school’s proximity and the familiarity of its staff. Finch is due to consolidate with another school at a location outside walking distance, according to the report.
The findings also complicate arguments that charter or private schools alone account for district enrollment declines. ExcelinEd policy vice president Cara Candal said declining birth rates mean there are fewer children overall. The report does not establish that demographics explain every closure: local enrollment decisions, budgets and school-specific conditions also matter.
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Atlanta’s Enrollment and Closure Plans
Atlanta Public Schools announced last year that it would close or repurpose 16 schools with declining enrollment. The plans included the KIPP sites, whose closure came sooner than the district timeline for affected public-school families. The report describes the difference between those timelines as a source of concern for families and community members.
Closures are being considered beyond Atlanta. A K-12 Dive tracker cited by The 74 counted 14 urban districts planning nearly 150 school closures for the year. In Oakland, 60 principals wrote to the school board in April urging closures, saying the district could not maintain its existing structure while providing adequate services across 81 schools. Los Angeles Unified, where enrollment is about half its level two decades ago, has begun discussing closures, according to the report.
The federal data cited by The 74 shows school closures rising from 755 in the 2021-22 school year to more than 1,000 in the most recent year covered. Some districts used pandemic relief funds to delay or cancel closure plans after community opposition, but those funds do not remove the longer-term enrollment pressure described in the report.
“Choice cannot be the scapegoat. There just aren’t enough kids.”
— Cara Candal, vice president of policy at ExcelinEd
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How Much Each Factor Contributes
The report links school pressure to declining birth rates and enrollment, but it does not quantify how much of each school’s financial difficulty is caused by demographics rather than other factors. It also does not provide a complete accounting of enrollment, budgets or application trends for every charter and private school mentioned.
Some figures refer to different measures and time periods: Georgia’s fertility-rate decline covers 2007 to 2023, while the New Mexico and Illinois estimates concern future kindergarten entry. They should not be treated as direct measures of the number of students currently enrolled in schools. The source material also does not establish the final outcome of every district closure proposal or the details of replacement services and school assignments for affected families.
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Families Face Upcoming School Changes
Atlanta families affected by the district’s repurposing plan have until the end of the current school year to prepare for changes set for fall 2027. The report says Finch Elementary is expected to consolidate with another school and move; the specific arrangements available to each family are not detailed in the source material.
Districts considering closures will continue to face decisions about facilities, staffing and how to maintain support services with smaller student populations. The article does not identify a single next decision date for Atlanta, Oakland or Los Angeles. Families and staff will need to follow announcements from their school boards and districts for confirmed timelines, final campus plans and enrollment arrangements.
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Key Questions
Are declining birth rates affecting charter and private schools?
Yes. The report describes closures and enrollment pressure at charter and private schools as well as district schools. It does not claim that birth rates are the sole cause of any individual school’s closure.
Which Atlanta charter schools closed?
KIPP Soul Primary and Soul Academy, which shared a campus on Atlanta’s west side, closed at the end of the last school year, according to The 74.
What is planned for Finch Elementary?
The report says Finch is due to consolidate with another school at a new location that is not within walking distance for some families. The source material does not give the full details of the new arrangements.
Does the report show that charter schools caused district enrollment declines?
No. It reports that falling birth rates are affecting schools across sectors and quotes an ExcelinEd policy leader who said choice schools should not be blamed for a shortage of children. It does not quantify the separate effects of school choice and demographic change on district enrollment.
Source: rss
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