EPIC Academy, a charter high school on the South Side of Chicago, plans to close at the end of the 2025-26 year, its board has decided.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the board cited financial difficulties stemming from low enrollment as a key factor in its decision.
“There’s not a person in this room who isn’t troubled and saddened by this moment,” Board Chair Andrew Annacone said.
Dwindling enrollment since 2020 has severely affected the school’s budget. That year, enrollment was 566 students. Five years later, the numbers have plunged 55% to 255 students.
The decision to close EPIC, which opened in 2009, comes months after the Chicago Board of Education approved a two-year renewal of the school’s contract. EPIC met the standards for renewal at the time financially, but later informed the district that they would be unable to meet operational costs.
Chicago district officials say EPIC’s enrollment loss, decrease in revenue, increased expenses related to salaries, and the purchase of a $1.6 million building during the 2022-23 have led to EPIC’s financial troubles.
