Why Public Schools Are Running Out of Students (and Money)

Описание: Americans are having fewer babies — and that's showing up in school budgets.

By 2031, there will be 2.7 million fewer children in America's public schools. But the buildings, the staff, and the costs built for a larger student population are still here. In this video, Bellwether's Esta Sherr talks with policy analysts Carrie Hahnel, Paul Beach, and John Bellaire about why enrollment is falling, why the decline is hitting some communities harder than others, and what district and state leaders can do about it — before the hardest decisions get made for them.

📊 Read Bellwether's research:

How Student Enrollment Declines Are Affecting Education Budgets, Explained in 10 Figures → https://bellwether.org/publications/d...

The Hidden Geography of School Enrollment Decline: Exurban Districts Are Booming While Others Shrink → https://bellwether.org/blog/hidden-ge...

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Americans are having fewer babies
1:18 How public schools actually get funded
1:47 Every state's birth rate is falling
2:01 From fewer babies to smaller kindergarten classes
2:55 Two-thirds of districts are shrinking
3:18 The other drivers: migration and school choice
4:06 The ESSER funding cliff
4:44 Increasing staff while enrollment declines
5:24 The fixed cost problem
6:22 Where enrollment is falling — and where it's growing
7:29 Why exurban districts are booming
8:16 More students with the greatest needs
8:45 What district leaders can do
9:36 What state leaders can do
10:18 What parents and communities can do
10:33 How fewer schools can be better schools
11:27 What comes next
11:58 Credits and about Bellwether

🎓 ABOUT BELLWETHER
Bellwether is a national nonprofit working at the intersection of policy, research, and practice. We believe American education needs dramatic change. We deliver timely analysis for leaders and policymakers, anchored in real-world insights from our work on the ground with partners. Our team includes former teachers and educators, school and district leaders, policymakers, government officials, and founders. Learn more at https://bellwether.org

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FEATURING
Esta Sherr — Host, Writer, Producer; Digital Communications and Marketing Manager, Bellwether
Carrie Hahnel — Report Author; Partner, Bellwether
Paul Beach — Report Author; Senior Associate Partner, Bellwether
John Bellaire — Report Author; Analyst, Bellwether

CONTRIBUTORS
Krista Kaput — Report Author; Associate Partner, Bellwether
Biko McMillan — Report Author; Senior Analyst, Bellwether
McKenzie Maxson — Director of Communications and Marketing, Bellwether
Andy Jacob — Partner and External Relations Team Lead, Bellwether
Amber Walker — Editorial Director, Bellwether
Julie Nguyen — Design and Visual Manager, Bellwether

MUSIC
Paul Werner, "Serenity," iStock
Joseph Rusnak, "Shifting Strategies," iStock
Akio Jefferson, "Signal Truth," iStock
Pleasant Pictures, "Air Waves," iStock
Sch3nk, "Reaching New Heights," iStock
Tambhor, "Spreading Light," iStock

VISUALS
iStock, Flickr, Canva, Flourish

NEWS CLIPS
PBS NewsHour, April 10, 2026
ABC News, April 10, 2026 F
ox News, April 10, 2026
CNN, April 18, 2026

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons (http://www.creativecommons.org/) Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

#Education #EducationPolicy #PublicSchools #SchoolFunding #DecliningEnrollment #K12