Chicago Public Schools
Conceptual rendering of high school planned for Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
Conceptual rendering of high school planned for Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
Conceptual rendering of high school planned for Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
Conceptual rendering of high school planned for Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
Conceptual rendering of high school planned for Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.

Chicago won't close 3 high schools immediately; plans a 3-year phase out

Feb. 14, 2018
The district had planned to shutter 4 South Side high schools this summer, but after public outcry, 3 of them will remain open for another 3 years.

The Chicago school district has backed off plans to close three poorly performing South Side high schools this summer and will instead phase them out over three years.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Harper, Hope and TEAM Englewood high schools will remain open until students who are now freshmen have an opportunity to graduate. District administrators say they will stick with their plan to close a fourth campus—Robeson High School—this summer and after razing it, constructing an $85 million high school campus.

The change in facility plans, announced by Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, comes after public hearings where residents and community activists criticized the proposal to close all four schools in the Englewood neighborhood at the end of this academic term.

Students attending Harper, Hope and TEAM Englewood can remain at those schools as they wind down operations, or leave for surrounding schools.

"We’re trying to compromise here," Jackson says, "and give people an opportunity to stay, who want to stay—but also give people an opportunity to leave, who want to leave.”

Harper, Hope and Robeson rank among the city's most under-capacity, underperforming and financially struggling high schools.

No new freshmen will be assigned to Harper, Hope and TEAM Englewood as they are being phased out; that means that by the time they close, only seniors would remain. 

A previously announced plan to expand the boundaries of four South Side neighborhood high schools to take in students displaced by the proposed closings remains in place. That would give students the option of transferring into one of those programs before the new high school opens.

The four high schools in the Englewood neighborhood have a track record of steady enrollment declines and poor academic performance. This fall they reported a combined enrollment of about 450 students.

District leaders told parents those problems could worsen if the schools were gradually phased out of existence instead of being closed outright. The district had contended that students, with the proper support, would find a better high school experience elsewhere in the system.

In discussing the about face, Jackson says: "My personal opinion cannot be the only opinion that matters. The outcry for these schools to remain open, and to allow the students to transition and graduate with their class—it was great."

Sponsored Recommendations

How to design flexible learning spaces that teachers love and use

Unlock the potential of flexible learning spaces with expert guidance from school districts and educational furniture providers. Discover how to seamlessly integrate adaptive ...

Blurring the Lines in Education Design: K–12 to Higher Ed to Corporate America

Discover the seamless integration of educational and corporate design principles, shaping tomorrow's leaders from kindergarten to boardroom. Explore innovative classroom layouts...

Room to Learn: Furniture Solutions for Education

Preparing students for the future. Utilizing our experience in the education market, we offer a dynamic selection of products that pair technology with furniture to help stimulate...

Transforming Education: A Case Study in Progressive Classroom Design

Discover how Workspace Interiors and the Baldwin School District reshaped learning environments in Long Island, New York, creating pedagogically responsive spaces that foster ...