Once a magnificent beacon of education for the Black community, DuSable High School on Chicago’s South Side served as an academic powerhouse, boasting a vibrant student body of over 4,000.
In its prime, the grandeur of its Art Deco architecture drew in students eager to engage in honors classes, a renowned music program, and formidable sports teams.
Notable figures such as Nat King Cole and Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago, walked its halls, and Friday nights were filled with joyous roller-skating and dancing in the gymnasium.
However, as the 21st century dawned, everything began to change.
Declining enrollment became a grim reality as public housing complexes were shuttered and a growing number of Black families departed the city.
In a nationwide trend favoring smaller high schools, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) implemented a controversial transformation of DuSable, splitting it into three smaller schools sharing the same campus.
Today, what remains is an expansive building housing two tiny schools, each struggling to survive, with one school holding merely 115 students and the other a mere 70.
With a dilapidated pool off-limits and lockers hidden behind posters celebrating prominent figures like Malala Yousafzai and Sonia Sotomayor, the contrast between the school’s illustrious past and its present is stark.
Despite boasting roughly one teacher for every five students, course offerings remain limited, reflecting the broader dilemma affecting many of Chicago’s schools.
CPS operates over 500 schools, investing about $18,700 per student, while the cost per student at DuSable stands at an astounding $50,000.
The plight of DuSable is emblematic of a much larger crisis within the district.
Enrollment has continued to dwindle, with 30% of CPS schools operating at less than half capacity and some, like Frederick Douglass Academy High School, experiencing extreme underenrollment with only 28 students at a staggering cost of $93,000 per student.
Many of these schools are housed within historic buildings that demand millions in repair costs.
The difficulties manifest not only in financial terms but also severely affect educational quality, as students in smaller schools often face a lack of course choices, extracurricular activities, and sports.
A ProPublica and Chalkbeat analysis found a troubling correlation between small school sizes and lower graduation and college enrollment rates, as well as increased truancy and dropout rates.
Yet, despite the mounting evidence of these issues, Chicago officials have hesitated to take decisive action.
The teachers union and Mayor Brandon Johnson, once an organizer within the union, act quickly to close the discussion on shrinking school sizes.
Widespread outrage over the 2013 school closures has resulted in political power shifts, with the union utilizing the issue to counter opponents, particularly former district CEO Pedro Martinez.
Critics argue that closing schools disrupts student learning and compounds harm in Black and Latino neighborhoods, which were most adversely impacted by the earlier closure wave.
They contend that a greater effort should be made to rejuvenate these schools prior to considering closures or mergers.
Since 2013, a series of moratoriums on school closures have been instituted, with one backed by state lawmakers at the urging of the teachers union.
Chicago currently manages more schools than it has students, according to Martinez, who in an interview highlighted the excessive costs associated with maintaining aging buildings without providing a rich educational experience.
With a looming budget deficit of over $500 million and federal COVID-19 aid drying up, the affordability of sustaining such a vast infrastructure is increasingly questionable.
Martinez expressed a desire for a newly elected school board in 2027 to address the issues head-on and work closely with affected communities.
In a statement, CPS recognized that its building utilization formula is merely one measure of capacity and may overestimate available space.
Chicago’s declining public school enrollment is not an isolated case; other cities like Milwaukee and San Francisco are also facing the challenges of underenrollment, with some making plans to close schools.
Yet, Chicago’s situation is more complex, given its status as the nation’s fourth-largest district with a vast number of buildings and a decreasing school-age population.
Discussions surrounding the future of underenrolled schools have become particularly sensitive, marked by a legacy of distrust from past closures.
In 2013, the district closed 49 elementary schools and one small high school, resulting in protests from families who felt the closures tore apart their communities.
With lingering distrust towards Chicago Public Schools in neighborhoods like Bronzeville, a group of DuSable alumni proposed to consolidate the two small schools at the campus into a single institution focusing on STEM education.
While they wished to see DuSable’s legacy revived, district officials dictated that input from current families was necessary for the proposal to advance, yet the lack of resources made this nearly impossible.
Despite aspirations for improvement, the plan ultimately dwindled without gaining traction.
Hal Woods, a former staff member involved, shared insights on the district’s unwillingness to undergo perceived closures, reflecting a broader reluctance to tackle the declining enrollment dilemma.
Jianan Shi, a recent school board president, echoed the sentiment of needing to rebuild trust within communities, asserting that reconciliation efforts take time.
However, he also observed that a “lack of political courage” hinders meaningful discussions regarding the future of these schools.
The school board has been reluctant to entertain the notion of consolidations, especially with elections looming and fears of being labeled as “school closers.”
Current enrollment figures reflect a downward trend, with projections estimating potential drops to as low as 300,000 in three years.
Factors such as falling birth rates complicate the landscape, exacerbating the pressing need to find solutions.
Research suggests that expectations of a population influx may be unrealistic in areas marked by declining numbers of school-aged children.
Jim Lewis, a senior researcher, warns against overestimating the influence of schools in attracting families, emphasizing that significant improvements in amenities, safety, and job opportunities are critical to attracting residents.
The decision regarding Chicago’s underenrolled schools ultimately lies with the school board, presently composed of both elected and appointed representatives.
Next year, all members will face re-election, and many acknowledge the urgent need for dialogue about small schools and potential consolidation.
However, the ongoing moratorium makes it uncertain whether now is the right time for such conversations.
At Hirsch High School, located a mere five miles from DuSable, similar challenges persist.
Once bustling with students, it now serves about 100, far below its capacity of 1,000.
M’Kya Craig, a junior, laments the limited offerings, having taken all available electives by her second year.
Despite strong ties with staff and some personal successes facilitated by close mentorship, she acknowledges the challenges presented by the lack of diversity in course choice and extracurricular activity.
In an effort to counteract limited offerings, some schools encourage students to enroll in online courses or dual-enrollment programs with community colleges.
DuSable faces similar challenges, having previously provided an array of language and Advanced Placement options that have since been overhauled due to the dwindling student body.
Both the Bronzeville Scholastic Institute and the Daniel Hale Williams Preparatory School of Medicine lack the capacity to offer robust programs due to their sizes, limiting opportunities for students through minimal faculty resources.
While DuSable’s alumni group has voiced concerns over the lack of opportunity for students within Chicago’s underenrolled schools, the broader system continues to embrace a strategy of maintaining funding amid declining enrollment.
CPS’s budget has thus far sustained investments despite the enrollment drop, including supplementing staffing levels across its campuses regardless of actual student numbers, often leading to excess personnel in some of the smallest schools.
The challenge remains that merely increasing funding does not inherently translate into enhanced educational experiences.
Costly aging buildings compound budgetary pressures, with many campuses requiring severe repairs.
Chicago’s school infrastructure stands on the brink; research from ProPublica and Chalkbeat indicates that the district’s severely underenrolled schools alone have garnered over $213 million for maintenance since 2017.
Urgent repair needs approach $3.1 billion, bringing into question the viability of maintaining a vast number of underutilized sites.
With the previous administration tying school closure to severe budget deficits, the current district leadership faces pressure to address the underlying reality of diminished enrollment without further entrenching past mistakes.
Overall, Chicago Public Schools’ ongoing struggle with underenrolled schools symbolizes a community caught between preservation of legacy institutions and the stark realities of demographic shifts impacting student numbers.
Many hope that through meaningful dialogue and community involvement, a balanced approach can emerge, prioritizing both the students’ needs and the sustainability of Chicago’s educational framework.
image source from：https://www.propublica.org/article/chicago-public-schools-enrollment-costs
