More than 1,000 U.S. schools closed during the 2025–26 academic year as enrollment declined, while developers moved thousands of apartments into the pipeline by converting former education buildings into housing, including affordable residences for older adults.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
A nationwide decline in the number of school-age children is leaving a growing inventory of empty public school buildings, and some communities are responding by transforming the unused properties into apartments for an expanding senior population.
More than 1,000 schools closed during the 2025–26 academic year, up from 755 four years earlier, according to National Center for Education Statistics data reported by The Washington Post.
The change represents a 35% increase in school closures and reflects demographic and enrollment pressures affecting districts in different regions of the country.
“We call it the big shrink,” said Marguerite Roza, director of Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab, which monitors school finance. “Enrollment at public schools is declining, partly because there are fewer kids in the U.S.”
Public school enrollment has been declining since 2019. Falling birth rates have reduced the number of children entering classrooms, while migration patterns have moved some families from cities into less expensive suburban communities.
School-choice policies are contributing to the shift in some areas. Scholarship programs have allowed more families to transfer children into private and charter schools, further reducing enrollment in traditional public school systems.
Districts in Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Broward County, Florida, are among those planning additional closures.
The changing demographics are creating difficult decisions for local officials. Districts must balance the cost of maintaining underused campuses against the disruption caused when neighborhood schools close and students are reassigned.
At the same time, the buildings can present redevelopment opportunities. Former schools often contain large classrooms, wide corridors, community gathering spaces and locations within established neighborhoods, making them potential candidates for residential conversion.
Nearly 2,000 apartments have already been created inside former public school buildings, according to a RentCafe analysis cited by Moneywise.
At the beginning of 2026, another 9,320 apartments created through school conversions were in various stages of development.
Some of those projects are being designed specifically for older residents who need affordable housing.
In Philadelphia, a school building more than a century old is scheduled to become low-income senior housing after remaining vacant for more than 20 years, WHYY reported Monday.
The former Rudolph Walton Elementary School in the city’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood illustrates how a property once considered obsolete can be adapted to address another public need.
Repurposing an existing school can preserve a neighborhood landmark while reducing the demolition and construction required for an entirely new development. It can also return an abandoned property to active use and add housing in communities where older adults may have difficulty finding affordable options.
Conversions can still be complicated and expensive. Old school buildings may require extensive work involving plumbing, electrical systems, accessibility, insulation and environmental remediation before they are suitable for residential occupancy.
Classrooms must be divided into individual units, while former cafeterias, auditoriums and gymnasiums may need new uses. Developers must also satisfy zoning, building-code and financing requirements.
The demographic trends behind the closures are expected to continue influencing both education and housing policy.
U.S. fertility rates have fallen to record lows, reducing the number of children likely to enter public schools in future years. The national marriage rate also reached its lowest level in 140 years in 2019.
Census data shows that 52% of families have both parents working full time to maintain financial security, adding economic pressures that can affect marriage, family size and decisions about where households live.
Meanwhile, the country’s death rate has decreased significantly in recent years, contributing to a larger population of older adults who may need accessible and affordable housing.
The result is a demographic imbalance with fewer children filling public classrooms and more seniors seeking appropriate places to live.
Not every shuttered school will be suitable for residential conversion, and not every redevelopment will focus on older adults. Some former campuses have been transformed into offices, community centers, mixed-use properties or market-rate apartments.
The growing number of senior-housing projects, however, demonstrates how communities can connect two separate challenges: declining demand for classroom space and increasing demand for affordable residences.
As districts continue consolidating schools, local governments and developers are likely to face greater pressure to determine what should happen to the vacated properties.
For some buildings, the next generation of occupants may not be students beginning their education but older Americans seeking a stable home.
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