Montgomery County Public Schools has seen declining enrollment over the past year, and officials expect that trend to continue.
That’s prompted school officials to study possible closings and consolidations of elementary and middle schools.
According to an enrollment update included in a presentation at the MCPS Board of Education meeting on July 16, the student population for the 2026-27 school year is projected to reach 150,746 students.
By the 2035-36 school year, MCPS estimates enrollment will drop to 139,402 students.
But the Maryland State Department of Planning projects a smaller decline, estimating 143,390 students will be enrolled in MCPS by the 2035-36 school year.
“I got to tell you I love that the state has this level of confidence in MCPS,” MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor said of the state’s estimate. But he called that estimate “very optimistic.”
That projected drop in enrollment is among the reasons that the school system is conducting a two-year, two-phase study that will include considering elementary and middle school closures and consolidations and a new boundary study.
At that same July 16 meeting, Board of Education member Karla Silvestre predicted strong reactions from parents at the mere mention of closings and consolidations. “I think there’s gonna be like, ‘Oh my gosh, my school’s closing, this is terrible,” she said, but added there could be benefits in examining possible changes.
Andrea Swiatocha, MCPS’s acting chief of district operations, outlined the process and timeline for the study.
“For this upcoming school year, school year 2026-2027, we are entering into Phase 1, which is the closure and consolidation study,” of elementary and middle schools, Swiatocha said.
At the school board meeting upcoming meeting on Oct. 8, Swiatocha said officials will provide more information on the study. Then starting in late October and continuing through January, MCPS will hold public information sessions “as we take a look and consider all elementary, middle school and also other board-owned sites and look at our capacity, and what our needs are,” she said.
In May, Swiatocha said the school board “will make a decision as to whether we are closing any elementary schools, middle schools or also just looking at the other portfolio of buildings we own as a school district.”
Phase 2 of the plan includes a boundary study scheduled to start in during the 2027-28 school year. That review will incorporate any recommended closures or consolidations.
“We also need the opportunity to rebalance. We have schools that still have portable classrooms because they are overcrowded,” Swiatocha said. She added that other schools and properties may be “underutilized.”
Implementation of any changes resulting from the studies would begin in the 2029-30 school year.
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