As the School Board of Broward County works towards a decision on what schools will face closures, a new count shows an even larger drop in the number of students enrolled than had been registered on the first day of school.
The most recent official enrollment count, taken on Sept. 14, recorded 12,300 less students districtwide than last year. It's a slightly larger drop than a first-day count in August, which had indicated about 11,000 less students enrolled.
The benchmark enrollment count takes place on the Monday following the Labor Day holiday, or first school day thereafter.
Enrollment dropped by 5.6%, a larger decline than the 5% drop recorded on last year’s benchmark enrollment day. The seats lost become part of the more than 60,000 empty seats in the district, an accumulation that’s happened over just the last five years.
As enrollment thins, so does funding. Schools have less spending power for students' programs and resources. The loss in seats translates to more than $430 million less in the district’s budget.
READ MORE: Is your student's Broward County school potentially closing? The district wants to hear from you
As a result, the Broward County School Board is considering closing 10 schools next school year.
Speaking at a board meeting on Tuesday, board member Rebecca Thompson said savings from closures can materialize in stronger Parent Teacher Association school chapters, more specials and clubs, and smaller class sizes.
“It is not just to save money. It is not just to look at spreadsheets and make the numbers work,” Thompson said. “It is to make sure that our families, and more importantly, our children, in their K-12 experience, have the best opportunities that they can have.”
The average annual savings from the six schools the Board voted to close last year are $1.2 million. Projected savings from the 10 schools up for closure this year are still unknown, as the schools shuttered are still not finalized. Staff plans to bring comprehensive datasets for each of the 11 proposals to the next workshop Oct. 6.
Staff also plan to survey families at the affected schools. The results will be available by the Nov. 4 workshop in time for the district to make its final vote in December.
'Continuity and stability'
Parents and staff from two elementary schools — Lloyd Estates in Oakland Park and Dolphin Bay in Miramar — spoke during Tuesday’s public comment. Both schools are potentially up for closure, with enrollment at 61% and 48% capacity, respectively, according to a district fact sheet.
Dolphin Bay supporters wore matching maroon T-shirts as they criticized the district’s plan to absorb the school with nearby Glades Middle, which is at 38% enrollment, to create a K-8 model. Parents said they worried about sending their young children to school with middle schoolers.
“For families like mine, this is about continuity, stability, familiar support systems, and an environment where our students can learn and thrive,” said Octavia Sampson, a Dolphin Bay parent.
The total number of students district-wide in the 2026-27 school year stands at 177,575. It was 13% larger, at 204,721, just four years ago, in the 2022-23 year.
The only grade that saw an increase in enrollment was district prekindergarten, by four students. This is the first year charter schools also see a decrease in enrollment in the thousands, with 2,071 fewer students, according to the report.
The pressure to find savings only grows as the referendum supporting teacher salaries and school safety is up for renewal in the Nov. 3 election.
“If the Nov. 3 referendum does not pass, Broward County Schools will fail to realize $358 million,” said board member Allen Zeman.
The district recently launched a campaign informing taxpayers of what’s on the line if the property tax referendum which originally passed in 2018 doesn’t get renewed.
