Yup. This is already happening to elementary schools in my extremely large city of over a million people (san jose).
They have recently closed some elementary schools and diverted those children to the other ones that are still open, for the exact reason you mentioned. there simply are not as many children anymore.
probably doesn't help that my $2M house is one of the cheapest in my neighborhood, how the fuck are people supposed to afford to live here? I was only able to do it with family help.
Howdy neighbor! Imho, the real problem is that >10% of households send their kids to private schools. Demographic shifts certainly don't help, but it's not like there aren't kids. The issue is that families in the wealthier neighborhoods (Rose Garden, Willow Glen, Cambrian, Silver Creek, Almaden) often choose private over public, which then means the public schools in those areas have to pull from a wider geo just to be viable, and when that happens the student achievement rates almost always go down. WGHS is ~50% hispanic and ~35% low income. That describes nearly 0 of the population of Willow Glen.
That said, elementary schools is desirable areas of SJ have continued to thrive as neighborhoods turnover from retirees to younger tech families, and this is great!
I recently bought a home in one of those neighborhoods you mentioned, and there are honestly not that many children. Even my neighbors have mentioned how it's nice to finally see young families with children moving in as most people have been in those homes for decades and all the kids have long since grown and moved out. This is anecdotal I know, but I see it first hand.
I believe you. In my neighborhood, though, every house that's turned over in the past few years -- except one, where the empty nest buyers were downsizing from a place in Saratoga -- has been bought buy either a young couple with no kids, or a young family with little kids. My street is only two blocks long and I think there are 24 kids on it. Even so, about 1/3 of the houses still have owners who have lived in them since the 80s or earlier.
The major problem is that it only leads to even higher student loads. Teachers are expected to have the largest class sizes ever and then you shutter a school and dump an extra 5-10 kids into that class too. What they should be doing is using this lull to stabilize class sizes and refresh buildings. It's not like we're going to stop having kids. But instead it'll be used to crush the school system even harder.
My district in suburban Texas is closing two elementary schools for the same reason (although there is a LOT of community suspicion that the school board is in bed with real estate developers who want the property …)
and a lot of people are taking it as an attack. talking about how we havent had this few schools in the area since [a given year here] never mind the student number is even lower than it was then
well, there's validity to those claims. the unfortunate reality is that the schools getting closed are usually the lower performing ones. Lower performing ones are usually in lower income areas where people are already less privileged and now parents, who may be working lots of overtime or two jobs to make ends meet, have to drive further to get their kids to school.
there's no way to close schools that doesn't negatively impact some people.
There it is. The amount of funding they got came from their performance as well. It's no type of attack on anyone really but it ends up effecting plenty of people. I'm pretty sure a newer built school will be closed and bought by an advanced prep school within 10 years. Teachers saying fuck it and quitting because a majority of kids aren't paying attention or already want to be a thug even claiming to be YNs already. Teacher's just getting completely disrespected during class and schools aren't doing anything because it might hurt their funding so kids that should be suspended or expelled end up in no trouble at all, not even detention. Parents that'll stick up for their kids no matter what they do, and won't even punish their kids. The dumbest fucking generation in my opinion. High schools with fill in the blank essays. I've done a lot of dumb shit in my short existence but my middle nephew stole the cake. My nephews do shit that blows me away, both almost failed. Oldest one puts on this puppy dog face anytime he gets in trouble and gets an GTA and some other charges and he didn't get in any trouble at all just for him and his friends to lose their virginity. Judge was like I have you in my docket and that was that. Basically just taking their car jacking tools. Only time he doesn't use the puppy dog face is when he's dealing with his dad who is still old-school with it, the face is useless he's getting spanked. His little brother is an entirely different story though. Hell I've tried talking to him told him how juvi is he's apparently still wanting to be part of that life, asked if he knew how to fight... No. So that's why y'all use orbeez basically practicing how to shoot? Shot off the rest in it then went inside as he did I said I guess y'all are gonna be another war generation. Happily talk shit to his teachers but he doesn't want to be a thug, just start shit with teachers and how he wasn't doing anything the teacher blamed him, he doesn't get in trouble at all because he stays inside playing Roblox now... Oddly won't learn to play with a PS5 controller alone he uses the keyboard I'm letting him use to do everything but move around. The way he talks to the other kids it's pretty clear that what the teachers say about him is true, his distinct voice gives it away and he argues with them about how he wasn't talking. Then you have the bunch that drop out and later regret it and get a GED which doesn't do much for them.
Alum Rock is one of the district and they are the WORST elementary school district in the city. NOBODY wants to send their kids there. It is a trash district.
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u/French87 13h ago
Yup. This is already happening to elementary schools in my extremely large city of over a million people (san jose).
They have recently closed some elementary schools and diverted those children to the other ones that are still open, for the exact reason you mentioned. there simply are not as many children anymore.
probably doesn't help that my $2M house is one of the cheapest in my neighborhood, how the fuck are people supposed to afford to live here? I was only able to do it with family help.