After months of discussion and community feedback, St. Louis Public Schools has narrowed its “Future Ready” plan to 14 school closures — 12 for the 2027-28 school year and two more by 2030.
The recommendation, called the A+ Portfolio Model, was presented at Tuesday evening’s Board of Education work session. It also calls for transportation and staffing cuts, changes at other campuses and expanded career and technical education programs.
The 12 schools proposed to close in 2027 are 11 elementary schools — Ames, Ashland, Carver, Columbia, Hamilton, Hickey, Meramec, Monroe, Patrick Henry, Shenandoah and Walbridge — and the Academy of Entrepreneurship Studies at L’Ouverture, a middle school.
Clyde C. Miller Career Academy and McKinley Classical Leadership Academy would close as high schools by 2030. Both campuses would continue serving students: Miller would become a districtwide career and technical education hub, while McKinley would remain open as a middle school.
Seven elementary schools considered for closure under earlier proposals would remain open: Adams, Bryan Hill, Humboldt, Jefferson, Laclede, Lyon and Peabody.
The revised plan comes as SLPS tries to stabilize its finances amid declining enrollment and the costs of operating underused buildings.
The district initially projected a $41 million budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. Higher-than-expected revenue and about $12 million in operational underspending have reduced the projected shortfall to $29 million.
District administrators plan to address most of the remaining gap through $23.6 million in operational savings, including $13.6 million in reduced staffing costs. The staffing reductions are expected to come primarily from existing Central Office vacancies that would remain unfilled.
Another $10 million in projected savings would come from transportation changes. The district now proposes transportation zones of 1 mile for neighborhood schools and 2 miles for focus schools, rather than the 4-mile zone considered earlier in the Future Ready process.
Superintendent Dr. Myra Berry said the transportation change came after the district heard concerns from parents.
Administrators project the measures would reduce the remaining structural deficit to about $6 million, with a balanced budget expected within two years.
Latasha Smith, an SLPS educator and district resident who attended the final Future Ready SLPS community meeting, said residents will have to weigh competing priorities.
“I think the district is doing the best that they can with the cards that they’ve been dealt,” Smith said. “Everybody’s not going to get everything they wanted. If we go into this with grace for the district and open minds as parents, staff and community members, then hopefully we come out with a plan that works for everybody.”
Smith said equity should remain central to the decisions.
“Every decision should be something that all of our children benefit from, not some of them,” she said. “It should be an equitable process across the board, no matter what zip code you’re in, what color you are, or what school in the district you go to.”
The A+ model would keep most SLPS schools in traditional elementary, middle and high school configurations, with a limited number serving students from pre-K through eighth grade. The district also proposes focus schools for advanced academics and visual and performing arts. Additional recommendations for gifted education will be presented separately to the board.
Other campuses would undergo changes but are not among the 14 proposed closures. Sigel Elementary would become a pre-K-8 school. Gateway STEM would become a hybrid school serving neighborhood students and students from across the district in career and technical education programs.
Schools proposed for closure or changes
St. Louis Public Schools is proposing to close, merge or repurpose 14 campuses as part of its Future Ready plan, with most changes beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
Proposed for closure or merger
Academy of Entrepreneurship Studies at L’Ouverture
Ashland Elementary
Ames Visual & Performing Arts
Carver Elementary
Columbia Elementary
Hamilton Elementary
Hickey Elementary
Meramec Elementary
Monroe Elementary
Patrick Henry Elementary
Shenandoah Elementary
Walbridge Elementary
Proposed for repurposing
Clyde C. Miller Career Academy: Current program would end by 2030; campus would become a districtwide career and technical education hub.
McKinley Classical Leadership Academy: Current program would end by 2030; future use of the campus has not been determined.
The proposal is not final. SLPS is expected to present final recommendations Sept. 22, with the Board of Education scheduled to vote Oct. 13.
The district also plans to expand career and technical education across grade levels. Students would begin exploring potential careers in elementary school, gain more exposure in middle school and move into college and career academies in high school.
Board members also discussed introducing financial literacy as early as kindergarten and exposing students to construction trades and other workforce skills.
Marlowe Price, a Northwest High School alumnus who attended the final Future Ready community meeting, said the city’s population decline should be considered when deciding which schools remain open.
“Everybody gets emotional about the school they went to, but we don’t have the population,” Price said. “These school rooms are empty. Why are we keeping schools open, then we’ve got to heat and cool them? We’ve got to close them down.”
Price also urged the district to develop partnerships with technical schools, pointing to Ranken Technical College near Sumner High School.
“They can’t figure out a partnership? Somebody isn’t thinking outside the box,” Price said. “I want to see more vocational training.”
The district’s research and evaluation team evaluated schools using factors including building condition, capacity, utilization and the number of students living nearby.
Beyond the immediate consolidation plan, SLPS is considering a decadeslong overhaul of its buildings.
The long-range facilities plan anticipates $2.25 billion in bond funding through 2050. Administrators said estimated construction costs could range from $1.2 billion to $2 billion.
Square Watson, the district’s chief of operations, said the proposal could result in 11 new schools and about 21 major renovations by 2050.
The district is expected to present its final recommendations Sept. 22, with the Board of Education expected to vote Oct. 13.