Major cities all across the United States are fighting tooth-and-nail to keep students as more parents are beginning to seek out alternative options outside their local public schools. A good case in point is Houston Independent School District, which has reported a massive drop in student enrollment. Journalists with Houston Public Media obtained a document from the district last year that showed their enrollment had declined more than the previous year than they originally expected.
The Houston Chronicle revealed that the Houston Independent School District lost 8,300 students this year. And it’s far from the only one experiencing this trend. Chicago Public Schools also saw a dip in their enrollment numbers, dropping to historic lows. The CEO of CPS put out an announcement in September 2025 saying that “enrollment decreased across a majority of grades and most student groups.”
The low numbers for enrollment is not something new. It’s been happening since the 2011-2012 school year, having plummeted 22% in total over the years. On the East Coast, New York City public schools saw a loss of 22,000 students this year from the previous year’s 906,248. Data from the Department of Education shows that there were 884,400 students enrolled in traditional public schools in New York City.
According to Fox News, NYC had over a million students enrolled when the 2019-2020 school year kicked off. Since then it’s lost over 117,000. Test scores for kids in grades 3-8 at K-12 school districts were released last month by the New York State Education Department, revealing that almost all of them were not proficient in either English or math.
Denver Public Schools, the largest district in the state of Colorado, has also been seeing dwindling numbers when it comes to enrollment. Data released by the Colorado Department of Education concerning the fall student count showed a 1.2% drop in enrollment compared to the previous fall. A total of 870,793 students, pre-K-12th grade, were enrolled in schools.
The Fox News Digital report also discussed the various factors that could be contributing to the decline many major cities are seeing in their local public schools. Many of these cities have also experienced decreases in birth rates, which could be one reason they are seeing fewer students enrolled in public schools. Decreasing populations as people move from the city to smaller towns, combined with the high cost of living in major urban centers also plays a role.
Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Cordova said her state is experiencing drops in public school enrollment due to shifts toward online learning. Colorado also saw a significant uptick in homeschooling with an increase of 5.5% from the previous year. Kids registered for online educational programs and schools also went up by 2.9%.
"*" indicates required fields
“Colorado has long been a state that supports school choice. We have vibrant traditional, public schools, innovation schools, and charter schools. New and innovative models reflect the changing landscape of schools. We are certainly monitoring the number of families who select homeschool and online schools for their students,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“New York City Public Schools is committed to providing a world-class education for all our students,” spokesperson for NYC Public Schools, Isla Gething, said to the outlet. “Enrollment can shift for many reasons, and these are trends we monitor closely. Our focus remains on delivering strong academic programs and safe learning environments in every classroom. We continue to engage the whole school community as we plan for the future of our schools with a long-term focus on stability, equity, and providing an excellent education regardless of enrollment fluctuations.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video