The landscape of education in the Kyrene School District is about to change significantly. Yesterday, school officials made the tough call to close six of the district's schools in response to declining enrollment figures and pressing budget constraints. The decision, which will be rolled out in two stages from 2026 to 2027, was finalized in the district's latest board meeting.
As reported by AZFamily, the closures include Kyrene de la Colina, Kyrene de la Estrella, and Kyrene de las Manitas. By the subsequent school year, Kyrene Traditional Academy, along with Akimel A-al and del Pueblo Middle Schools is set to cease operations. This "4-2" plan, as they are calling it, will leave the district operating with significantly fewer institutions. "Our community really wants us to close less than those eight schools and I want to make sure that we are able to, one, meet our legal obligation but not delay action to give people some certainty so they can start to plan for their new normals," said Governing Board Vice President Triné Nelson.
The district's governing board's decision has sparked substantial feedback from community members. Parents expressed concerns about their children's future and the potential ripple effects on the district's overall enrollment. "I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I should send my soon-to-be sixth grader to Altadena, continue my seventh grader at Akimel. It’s just, this is hard. That’s a decision that I will have to make or do I even stay in the Kyrene School District, because in the future, is this going to happen again?" Antonie Contreras, a parent, told AZFamily in an interview.
The school district, with facilities to educate 20,000 students, now serves just 12,000, according to officials. The decision comes after a comprehensive review of the district's infrastructure and needs, triggering fears of large class sizes and reduced educational opportunities if no action was taken. As per FOX10 Phoenix, the district stated, "If Kyrene does not right-size based on current and future enrollment trends, the district will be forced to make decisions that directly impact the Kyrene experience—such as significant position cuts, larger class sizes, and fewer opportunities for students."
The closure plan aims to save the district $5.8 million annually, as well as consolidate resources to maintain the quality of education. The decision was not made lightly, with lengthy discussions and various proposals, such as the "5-1" model, which sought to close fewer schools, being on the table until the final vote. "Closing two middle schools is going to result in more students leaving the district, which is going to exacerbate a problem we’re trying to solve," argued Kyrene Governing Board President Kevin Walsh. Nonetheless, this alternative did not gain enough support and ultimately fell through as Cedric Collins, one of the board members, remarked, "I don’t feel comfortable voting for that knowing that we didn’t have time to study it like we did all the others," in a statement relayed by AZFamily.
