The Cost of Keeping High Schools Open (Chicago Public Schools)

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The cost to keep high schools open:

In my previous post I noted that none of Chicago’s high school were on the list of schools being closed while they are the most expensive to update or maintain.  There were schools that were proposed to be colocation, and I left those out of my analysis.

The ideal enrollment for Chicago high schools, excluding the high schools proposed for colocation, is 151,451 students and the current enrollment is 116,551 students.  The current enrollment is only 76.9% of the ideal capacity with an excess of 34,900 seats. 

Something to think about:  Hypothetically closing Tilden High School and Chicago Vocational High School, both which are underutilized and underperforming would save the Chicago Public Schools $161,417,000 and displace 1,365 students. The money saved can save 21 elementary schools from the chopping block and prevent 5,957 elementary aged students from being displaced.

There are probably reasons why Chicago Vocation High School and Tilden High School can’t be closed, but this type of cost and benefit analysis should be considered when deciding which schools to close and which to keep open.