The Hechinger Report education newsletter

View in browser Elementary to High School A newsletter from The Hechinger Report Sponsored by: This week, we’re talking about the Vallejo school system in California and the financial crisis that’s leading some districts to close public schools. The Vallejo school district has spent extra on security to patrol vacant campuses like Pennycook Elementary School. Credit: Juliana Yamada for the Associated Press The big story Public school enrollment has plunged in districts across the country. Low birth rates are driving those drops, alongside heightened immigration enforcement and the expansion of private school voucher programs. As a result, many schools are facing a financial crisis. In Vallejo, California, public school enrollment has dropped by almost half in the last 20 years, from about 18,000 students in 2006 to 9,300 now. On average, schools in Vallejo were only 46 percent full in 2024. To cut costs, the district started closing schools, shuttering two K-8 schools in 2025 and three elementary schools this year. But closing schools comes with its own challenges. Some Vallejo parents decided to homeschool this year instead of transferring their students to schools elsewhere in the system, while others moved out of the Vallejo district entirely. Penny Núñez-Brandão, an elementary student who was transferred to another school this year when hers closed, has struggled with the adjustment. Her new class has 32 students in it, which she said makes it hard to concentrate. “Families are literally packing up their kids and moving away,” said Penny’s mother, Kimberly Núñez-Brandão. And it’s unlikely that public schools’ enrollment woes are over. This fall, we’ll be covering other ways that the financial squeeze facing school districts is affecting students, in partnership with The Associated Press. Read the story This week's newsletter is sponsored by: What do attendance, engagement, behavior, and achievement have in common? Strong relationships. Research shows how relationships can influence all four. With Sanford Harmony, you can bring relationship science into your school through practical strategies that improve attendance and engagement, strengthen behavior and belonging, and support academic achievement across classrooms. See how you can put research into practice. What we're reading Takeaways from our report on school closures in the US (The Hechinger Report/The Associated Press/Big Local News) 5 reports, 5 different conclusions about fairness in school funding (The Hechinger Report) Google will turn off search for schools that reject A.I. (The New York Times) Democrats sweep in blue tsunami. What does it mean for education? (Chalkbeat) Harvard released a tool meant to help summarize emerging research regarding AI’s effect on students (Compass Collaborative) From the vault In 2023, Rebecca Redelmeier wrote about the looming school closure cliff, and how schools that serve more Black and Hispanic students are disproportionately affected. Become a sponsor One last thing How a traumatic brain injury gave this music teacher perfect pitch. Is this edition of the newsletter helpful? ➡️ Your feedback helps us keep this newsletter relevant to your interests. Share your thoughts with us directly. Invite others to sign up for our newsletters. Copyright © 2026 The Hechinger Report, All rights reserved. Click here to manage your newsletter preferences Sent to: you@example.com Unsubscribe The Hechinger Report, 525 W 120th Street Suite 127, New York, NY 10027, United States