FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Parents gathered in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday with a clear concern: what will happen to their children if Broward County Public Schools closes or consolidates more campuses?
The School Board of Broward County held a workshop to discuss the future of several schools affected by declining enrollment. The meeting drew concerned parents, including Alberto Entrena and Jenna Williams, who questioned what closures would mean for students, teachers and their communities.
Among the campuses being considered are six elementary schools — Lloyd Estates, Oakridge, Banyan, Coral Springs, Dolphin Bay and Hollywood Park — along with three middle schools: Forest Glen, Walter C. Young and William E. Dandy.
For some parents, the issue is about much more than enrollment numbers.
Parent Pleads to Keep Hollywood Park Elementary Open
Entrena urged school board members not to close Hollywood Park Elementary, emphasizing how important the school is to families living nearby.
“Please keep Hollywood Park open,” Entrena said during the meeting. “It’s where I live; I live three blocks away from the school, and many, many kids need this … You are closing down an A-rated school to push kids into a C and B-rated school.”
His comments reflected a broader concern among parents that consolidating schools could disrupt students and communities while potentially moving children into campuses they consider less desirable.
Williams also asked district officials what would happen after a school closure.
“Parents want to know if you close a school then what happens next,” Williams said. “What improvements will our children see? Leadership, where will their teachers go?”
Those questions come as the district faces a significant enrollment decline.
District Reports 11,000 Fewer Students
Broward County Superintendent Howard Hepburn told the board that enrollment had fallen by about 11,000 students at the beginning of the 2026-27 academic year.
The decline has left the district managing tens of thousands of unused seats across its school system.
“We can no longer afford to fund these empty seats as enrollment continues to decline,” Hepburn said.
According to Hepburn, there are more than 60,000 empty seats across Broward County Public Schools. The district’s proposed changes are intended to address that unused capacity while reorganizing where students attend school.
Proposed Changes Could Affect Dozens of Schools
A presentation to school board members showed that the potential changes could have a much wider impact than the nine schools currently drawing the most attention.
The proposed changes would affect 22 elementary schools, six middle schools and two high schools.
Some of the proposed consolidations include Banyan Elementary students moving into Discovery Elementary and Village Elementary, while Coral Springs Elementary students could be reassigned to Eagle Ridge Elementary and Parkside Elementary.
Silver Lakes Elementary and Dolphin Bay Elementary could be moved into Glades K-8 Sunset Lakes Elementary as a K-8 campus.
Hollywood Park Elementary students could be reassigned to Boulevard Heights Elementary and West Hollywood Elementary.
Other proposed changes include Lloyd Estates Elementary students moving into Cypress Elementary and Oakland Park Elementary, while Oakridge Elementary students could move to Dania Elementary and Colbert Elementary.
School Board Also Discusses Charter School Possibility
The future of the campuses could involve more than simply transferring students to other district schools.
Adam Cervera, the school board member representing District 6, pointed to a state law concerning the use of “underused, vacant, or surplus” facilities.
He raised questions about whether some campuses could become eligible for use by specialized public charter schools known as Schools of Hope.
“It’s a crucial fact for everybody on this board to have a full understanding of how many of these 10 schools would be potentially eligible for that admin role with the School of Hope for a charter school to be able to come in,” Cervera said.
Florida’s Department of Education designates Schools of Hope, which are operated by nonprofit organizations known as Hope Operators.
The state’s six Hope Operators are Mater Academy, RCMA, IDEA Public Schools, Success Academy, Renaissance/Warrington Preparatory Academy and KIPP New Jersey.
Formal School Closure Plan Could Come Next
The school board’s discussion is not yet the final decision on the future of the campuses. The next suggested step is to bring a formal resolution establishing a committee on Sept. 15.
That committee could help examine the proposed changes and their potential impact on students, families, teachers and the district’s facilities.
For parents, the upcoming decisions could determine not only where their children attend school but also the future of neighborhood campuses that have served their communities for years.
As Broward County Public Schools works to respond to declining enrollment and 60,000 empty seats, families are waiting to see whether the district’s financial concerns will ultimately lead to more school closures.
What do you think Broward County Public Schools should do about its declining enrollment and empty seats? Should schools close, consolidate or remain open? Share your thoughts in the comments.