SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools proposed closing four elementary schools in the coming 2025-2026 school year, according to a Thursday announcement from Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones.
Jones is recommending to the school board that four schools be closed, with the Seattle Public Schools School Board making the final decision.
The schools recommended for closure are North Beach Elementary, Sacajawea Elementary, Stevens Elementary and Sanislo Elementary.
"This consolidation is part of a larger strategy to stabilize our finances. By closing these four under-enrolled schools, we will start to build a stronger, more sustainable school system," Jones said in a statement Thursday. "This is the best way forward in ensuring our district continues to provide the high-quality education our students deserve."
North Beach students will consolidate with Viewlands Elementary; Sacajawea students will move to John Rogers Elementary; Stevens Elementary will consolidate with Montlake Elementary; and Sanislo students will join Highland Park Elementary.
The superintendent said the district will hold engagement sessions at impacted schools beginning next week, offering in-person support weekly through Nov. 23.
A districtwide information session will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14.
The district initially released two options that would have saved $31.5 million and $25.5 million, respectively. It was intended to close an approximate $94 million budget gap spurred by decreasing student enrollment and less federal funding. The district has a budget of $1.2 billion.
In addition to school closures, Jones said the district will be reducing jobs in the central office, including "staff reorganizations and adjustments."
Closures of up to 21 schools were initially announced in May. However, after pushback from community members, parents and students, the district shifted to the closure of just a handful of schools instead.
Enrollment has been on the decline since it peaked in 1964 with 94,042 students. Between 2019 and 2023, Seattle Public Schools has seen enrollment decrease by about 4,900 students.
Total enrollment in the current school year is about 48,000 students and schools officials say they do not expect it to rebound anytime soon.
In the previous statement, district staff and a third-party expert said they analyzed the options based on physical building condition, learning environments, enrollment-to-capacity ratio, access to specialized service models and what would minimize disruption for students and staff.
KING 5's Mia Hunt and Kipp Robertson contributed to this story.