Ten Broward Schools Could Close or Consolidate. About 30 Campuses Would Feel It. Here Is the Full District Plan and Every Deadline.
Broward County Public Schools has published its recommendations, its meeting calendar and its vote date. Nothing is decided until December 15, the proposals are not final until September 22, and some public comment deadlines fall days before the meetings.
Jump to a section
- Save these dates
- Why the district says this is happening
- The recommendations, in the district's own groupings
- What the Coral Springs proposal actually does
- How a school lands on the list
- The charter school question the board is wrestling with
- The other school question on your November ballot
- The disagreement on the board
- Buildings and land are part of the plan too
- Why the November election matters here
- How to be heard
- Links you will actually need
- Meanwhile, in Palm Beach County
- What we could not confirm
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
On August 25, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn presented the School Board with the third phase of "Redefining Our Schools," the district's effort to close, consolidate and reconfigure under-enrolled campuses.
Ten schools are the subject of closure or major reconfiguration recommendations. Because most of those recommendations move students into other schools or change the grade levels those schools serve, roughly 30 campuses across Broward would be affected in some way.
Nothing has been decided. The district's own published timeline shows the proposals are not finalized until September 22 and the board's binding vote is December 15.
One point of confusion worth clearing up first. The district calls this "Redefining Our Schools 2026-27," which is the school year the process runs in. Any approved changes would take effect the following year, for 2027-28. Nothing on this list changes your child's school this year.
Nothing on the list changes this school year. Any approved changes take effect in 2027-28.
Save these dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 15, 2026 | Board resolution to establish the School Boundary Advisory Committee |
| September 22, 2026 | Board workshop: fall enrollment update and finalized school proposals |
| September through October 2026 | Community meetings on the recommendations, plus Boundary Committee orientation and training |
| October 2026 | Boundary Committee deliberation meeting |
| November 3, 2026 | Election day. School Board seats and a countywide school referendum are on the ballot |
| November 4, 2026 | Board workshop: community input, committee recommendations, and the final list of schools |
| November 5, 2026 | Superintendent's final recommendations memo |
| December 15, 2026 | School Board rulemaking meeting: final vote |
| December 16, 2026 | Notification to impacted families and staff |
| January 15, 2027 | School Choice application window closes |
| January 2027 | Transition planning begins for the 2027-28 school year |
That January 15 school choice deadline matters. It falls one month after the vote, which is the window families would have to apply elsewhere if their school is affected.
Why the district says this is happening
Broward's district-operated schools opened the 2026-27 year with 11,358 fewer students than the prior year's opening day. Because Florida funds districts per student, that drop costs roughly $100 million. Districtwide, Broward has about 60,000 empty seats.
Two caveats on that number. It counts district-operated schools, and charter enrollment declined as well, so this is not simply students moving from traditional public schools into Broward charters. It is also an opening-day count. The district's official fall enrollment count comes later in September, which is exactly why the September 22 workshop is labeled a fall enrollment update.
Seven schools have already closed across the first two phases of this initiative. Hepburn told the board that those closures, together with the layoff of about 1,000 staff members, have saved more than $100 million.
"We can no longer afford to fund these empty seats as enrollment continues to decline," Hepburn said. "If we're unwilling to make bold decisions today and in the near future, the decisions ahead will only get harder or worse. Ultimately, they will stop being ours to make. Instead, the state will make them for us."
He also acknowledged the cost of the decision. "No one wants to close a school," he said. "These are the places where generations of kids learn to read, where families meet their lifelong friends, and where teachers pour their hearts into their work. They hold memories that can't be measured on a spreadsheet, and I don't take that lightly, not for a second."
The recommendations, in the district's own groupings
Below is every recommendation as BCPS has published it for community discussion. Where the district lists two options, it has not chosen between them. These are the proposals headed into the September and October community meetings, and they can change at the September 22 workshop.
| Schools involved | Recommendation to be discussed with the community |
|---|---|
| Banyan Elementary, Sunrise | Transition students into Discovery Elementary and Village Elementary |
| Coral Springs Elementary, Coral Springs | Transition students into Eagle Ridge Elementary and Parkside Elementary |
| Dolphin Bay Elementary, Silver Lakes Elementary, Sunset Lakes Elementary and Glades Middle, Miramar | Transition Dolphin Bay and Silver Lakes students into Glades Middle and extend Glades Middle to a K-8 school. Separately, extend Sunset Lakes Elementary to a K-8 |
| Hollywood Park Elementary, Hollywood | Transition students into Boulevard Heights Elementary and West Hollywood Elementary, or another consolidation option that keeps Hollywood Park open |
| Lloyd Estates Elementary, Oakland Park | Transition students into Cypress Elementary and Oakland Park Elementary |
| Oakridge Elementary, Hollywood | Transition students to Colbert Elementary and Dania Elementary |
| Forest Glen Middle, Coral Springs | Extend the grades at Coral Park Elementary, Forest Hills Elementary, James S. Hunt Elementary and Park Springs Elementary to grade 6, and extend Coral Springs High to grades 7-12 |
| Walter C. Young Middle, Pembroke Pines | Transition students into Pines 6-12 and Silver Trail Middle, or transition students to Charles W. Flanagan High and create a 6-12 school |
| William E. Dandy Middle, Fort Lauderdale | Transition students into Parkway Middle, or transition the middle school students at Dillard 6-12 into Parkway Middle, with Dillard returning to a 9-12 school and William E. Dandy remaining a 6-8 school |
Note what that last row means. Under the second option, Dandy would stay open as a middle school and Dillard would shed its middle grades instead. Those are close to opposite outcomes for the two communities.
The full table is published on the district's Redefining Our Schools page, linked at the end of this article.
What the Coral Springs proposal actually does
The Forest Glen recommendation is the one drawing the most attention locally, and the district has now named the specific schools involved.
Four elementary schools would extend through sixth grade: Coral Park, Forest Hills, James S. Hunt and Park Springs. Coral Springs High would expand to serve grades 7 through 12. Forest Glen Middle would no longer operate as a traditional 6-8 middle school.
At the August 25 workshop, a second option was discussed that would have turned Forest Glen into a K-8 and closed one or two surrounding elementary schools instead. That alternative does not appear in the district's current published recommendations. If you saw it reported, that is why. The district presents finalized proposals on September 22.
Broward already runs schools on both models. Pines Collegiate Academy, Plantation, Lauderhill STEM-MED, Millennium and Dillard operate as 6-12 campuses, and several K-8 schools exist across the county.
Worth knowing for context: Forest Glen Middle appeared on a closure list during the previous phase and the board removed it in October, after then-board member Lori Alhadeff argued it was far less under-enrolled than many other middle schools in the county. A school appearing on a proposal is not the same as a school closing.
How a school lands on the list
The district's July workshop materials laid out the criteria:
- What it costs to operate the school
- Whether enrollment is below 70 percent of capacity and projected to stay there over the next five years
- The physical condition of the building, and whether needed upgrades would be cost-prohibitive
The district hired a consulting firm to assess the condition of every school in the county.
The charter school question the board is wrestling with
Florida's Schools of Hope law allows approved charter operators to open in a vacant or surplus school district facility, or to co-locate inside a district school that is underperforming and under-enrolled. According to the district, four schools in this process are exposed: Banyan Elementary, Lloyd Estates Elementary, Forest Glen Middle and William E. Dandy Middle. Hepburn said Dandy is the only one approached by an operator so far, by KIPP.
Board member Adam Cervera raised the problem this creates for the savings argument.
"I have an inkling that a lot of people think that closure is going to result in some cost saving measure to us, or perhaps a net income generation," Cervera said. "So if this is a situation where we're just voting to close schools, and a charter school's just going to come over and take over, that needs to weigh on my decision."
Valerie Wanza, the district's chief strategy and operations officer, noted that even if the board declines to close a school, a charter operator could seek to occupy the available seats there through a co-location agreement.
Hepburn was skeptical operators would find students. "The competition is stiff. The decline in students or school-aged kids in the Tri-County area is huge," he said. "I don't know where they think they're going to get the kids from, because there's not enough kids in the area anymore."
The other school question on your November ballot
Broward voters will decide more than School Board seats on November 3. A countywide school property tax referendum is also on the ballot, and it is directly tied to the district's finances.
Broward's current 1-mill school operating tax expires at the end of this year if voters do not renew it. In May, after a nearly nine-hour meeting, the School Board agreed on how it would allocate the money: about 90 percent of an estimated $282.6 million would go to employee pay supplements for teachers and other school-based staff, with the remaining 10 percent split between mental health support and safety and security services. Under recent state legislation, the district must share nearly 20 percent of the funds with charter schools.
Palm Beach County has a parallel measure on the same day. Voters there decide whether to renew a 1.0 mill levy first approved in 2018 and renewed in 2022, which the district describes as a renewal of an existing tax rather than a new one. It generates more than $200 million a year. Roughly half supports teacher salary supplements, with the rest going to choice programs, mental health services and school police. Under state law, the revenue is shared with district-operated schools and eligible charter schools. If renewed, it would run four fiscal years beginning July 1, 2027.
Neither referendum determines whether any specific school closes. But both shape the budget picture the closure decisions are being made against, and both are decided six weeks before Broward's December 15 vote.
The disagreement on the board
The board is not unified, and the split is about scale and frequency rather than whether to save money.
Board member Allen Zeman argued the list is too small, saying he would aim for 26 closures. Only 3.4 percent of schools have been slated for closure, he said, while enrollment has dropped 40 percent. "Are we going to continue to spend our money managing facilities that we don't need? The opportunity is to make the right decisions, to put resources in educator compensation, school-based programs, theme schools, added capacity where we know we're going to have added populations."
Board member Rebecca Thompson has pushed back on making this an annual exercise. "We can't keep closing schools every year," she said at a May meeting. "I'd like to wrap this up this year so that people can heal and see our great work coming to fruition."
At least one parent told the board the process has worked. Jenna Williams, whose fifth grade son moved to Fairway Elementary after Sunshine Elementary in Miramar closed, said the receiving school gained capacity and programs. "Fairway is now at a higher capacity, which allows the school to have more teachers and more specials. My child's class is smaller, and this year they have media, physical education, music and art." District data shows Fairway's enrollment grew by 217 students year over year.
Buildings and land are part of the plan too
Closures sit alongside a broader effort to shed property. According to district presentations reported by the South Florida Sun Sentinel in July, Broward is also selling about 2.86 acres next to Coral Springs High with an asking price of $700,000; sold 10.14 acres on University Drive and Trails End in Parkland to Broward Health for an outpatient center; marketing its Technology and Support Services Facility on Oakland Park Boulevard, with Broward County and the City of Sunrise both expressing interest; seeking to sell roughly 20 acres in Southwest Ranches; and working through a site at South Hiatus Road and West Broward Boulevard where soil contamination was found.
The district also plans to lease out floors of the K.C. Wright Administration Building and move departments into space at existing schools, including Miramar Elementary, Tamarac Elementary, Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Attucks Middle, Mary M. Bethune Elementary and Forest Glen Elementary.
Why the November election matters here
Broward School Board seats are on the November 3 ballot, including a District 6 runoff between incumbent Adam Cervera and Roberto Fernandez III. Cynthia Dominique was elected in District 7, and longtime members Lori Alhadeff and Nora Rupert are not returning.
That places the election squarely between the November 4 workshop, where the final list is presented, and the December 15 vote. The board that casts the binding vote will not be identical to the one that received this proposal in August.
How to be heard
The deadlines arrive before the meetings, which is where most people get caught out.
Broward School Board policy provides two ways to speak at a Regular School Board Meeting, plus a written option. Each speaker gets three minutes.
To comment on a specific agenda item, in person. Register through the district's public participation portal. The deadline is 1:00 p.m. the day before the published meeting date. Anonymous and guest profiles are not accepted, so you need a profile with your name, city and email.
If you miss that deadline. You can appear at the meeting location and complete a Comment Request Card before the scheduled start time.
To speak on a general topic. Register electronically through the same portal, or contact Official School Board Records, at least five calendar days before the meeting. This section is capped at ten speakers or thirty minutes per Regular meeting, so registering early matters. Anyone who misses the window can ask to be placed on a waiting list and may be heard at the end of the meeting at the Chair's discretion.
To submit written comment. Same portal, same 1:00 p.m. day-before deadline. Maximum 2,250 characters. Your name, city of residence and email are required and become public record. This option lets you comment without attending in person.
If a lot of people sign up. When ten or more register to speak on a single agenda item, the Chair may shorten each speaker's time or set a collective cap. The Chair cannot remove names from the list, so everyone registered still speaks.
The community meetings are the other route. The district's stakeholder engagement process runs September through October, with meetings scheduled specifically to discuss these recommendations. District officials have indicated they intend to use a regionalized approach, with north, central and south sessions rather than a separate meeting in every affected community. Dates and locations post to the district calendar.
Standing committees also take input. The Facilities Task Force, the Executive Parent Advisory Council and the Area Advisory committees all meet regularly and draw far smaller crowds than board meetings. The School Boundary Advisory Committee, established September 15, is the body that works through reassignment specifics.
Meeting location. Kathleen C. Wright Administration Center, 600 SE Third Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. Meetings are streamed and archived through the district website. District switchboard: 754-321-0000.
Rules of the room. Direct remarks to the Chair or the board as a whole rather than to individual members. Board members will not engage in dialogue with speakers. No signs or placards are permitted, and no heckling from the audience. Phones must be silenced and calls taken outside.
Contact your board member. The board has nine members, seven by district and two countywide. Current members are Maura McCarthy Bulman (District 1), Rebecca Thompson (District 2), Sarah Leonardi (District 3), Lori Alhadeff (District 4), Jeff Holness (District 5), Adam Cervera (District 6), Nora Rupert (District 7), Allen Zeman (Countywide, Seat 8) and Debra Hixon (Countywide, Seat 9).
Links you will actually need
The district's Redefining Our Schools page, with the full timeline and recommendation table
The August 25 workshop presentation
Public participation rules and user guides
The speaker and written comment portal
Find My Assigned School, to confirm your current assignment
Schools by Board Member district map, to find who represents your school
Meet the Board, for member contact information
District calendar, where community meeting dates will post
Meeting agendas and live stream
Palm Beach County's November referendum
Meanwhile, in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County is seeing a similar enrollment decline and has chosen a different response, at least for now.
The district reported nearly 7,000 fewer students in the first eleven days of this school year, with district-operated K-12 enrollment down 5,990 students, or 3.78 percent, and charter enrollment down 969, or 4.51 percent. That follows a comparable drop the year before that opened a $66 million budget hole. Superintendent Mike Burke has put the cumulative funding loss around $100 million. The district eliminated 76 media clerk positions in July, saving more than $3.3 million, and has implemented a hiring freeze.
Asked directly on August 31 whether Palm Beach County could face closures like Broward, Burke said no.
"We're trying to utilize our resources; we've been able to avoid that," Burke said. "We've actually opened some new schools because in Palm Beach County we still have parts of the county that are growing rapidly." The district's approach instead is to move teachers and staff to where they are needed.
Two neighboring districts, the same statewide pressure, two different answers so far.
What we could not confirm
- The district has not published enrollment and capacity figures for each individual school in this phase. Percentage-of-capacity numbers per school were not part of the public materials we reviewed.
- The proposals are explicitly labeled as recommendations to be discussed with the community. They are not final until the September 22 workshop, and the final list does not appear until November 4.
- Community meeting dates and locations for the September through October engagement process had not been posted at the time of publication.
- Which option will be selected for Hollywood Park Elementary, Walter C. Young Middle and William E. Dandy Middle has not been decided.
- Property figures come from district presentations as reported by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. We have not independently pulled the underlying appraisals or contracts.
If you have district documents, meeting notices or a records response we should see, send them to us and we will update this piece.
🔗 Related: Broward School Buses Can Now Ticket Drivers: What to Know About the New $225 Camera Program
Sources
Primary district sources
Broward County Public Schools, "Redefining Our Schools 2026-27," including the published timeline and the table of recommendations to be discussed with the community
BCPS School Board Workshop 1 presentation, August 25, 2026
BCPS School Board Workshop 1 video, August 25, 2026
BCPS Preliminary Workshop 2 presentation, July 21, 2026
BCPS Preliminary Workshop 1 presentation, May 12, 2026
BCPS Public Participation and School Board Policy 1020
School District of Palm Beach County, 2026 School Referendum
News reporting
WLRN, "Ten schools could close next year in Broward County. What to know," August 25, 2026
South Florida Sun Sentinel via Pineapple Report, "More school closures, more changes? Broward School Board enters year three of shake-ups," July 20, 2026
Pembroke Pines News, "'Don't want to scare': Superintendent predicts 10+ school closures for 2027-28," May 2026
Pembroke Pines News, "Referendum would give most funds to teacher pay supplements," May 2026
WLRN, "Broward School Board elections: District 6 headed to November run-off," August 18, 2026
WLRN, "With 7,000 fewer students, Palm Beach County Schools face less state funding, budget cuts," August 28, 2026
WFLX, "Palm Beach County teacher pay talks begin amid 7,000-student enrollment drop," August 31, 2026
CBS12, "Palm Beach County schools report a nearly 7,000-student enrollment drop," August 2026
The Friendly Scoop covers Broward and Palm Beach County. This article reports what has been publicly proposed and does not advocate for or against any closure or ballot measure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has any school been closed yet?
No. These are recommendations published for community discussion. The proposals are not finalized until September 22, the final list is presented November 4, and the School Board's binding vote is December 15.
When would changes take effect?
The 2027-28 school year. The district calls this process "Redefining Our Schools 2026-27" because that is the year the process runs, which has caused some confusion. Nothing on this list changes your child's school during the current year.
Which schools could close or be reconfigured?
Banyan Elementary in Sunrise, Coral Springs Elementary, Dolphin Bay and Silver Lakes elementary schools in Miramar, Hollywood Park and Oakridge elementary schools in Hollywood, Lloyd Estates Elementary in Oakland Park, Forest Glen Middle in Coral Springs, Walter C. Young Middle in Pembroke Pines, and William E. Dandy Middle in Fort Lauderdale. Glades Middle and Sunset Lakes Elementary in Miramar would be extended to K-8 schools.
My child's school is not on the closure list. Could we still be affected?
Yes. Most recommendations move students into other schools or change the grades a school serves. Roughly 30 campuses appear somewhere in the recommendations, including Discovery, Village, Eagle Ridge, Parkside, Boulevard Heights, West Hollywood, Cypress, Oakland Park, Colbert, Dania, Coral Park, Forest Hills, James S. Hunt and Park Springs elementary schools, plus Coral Springs High, Charles W. Flanagan High, Pines 6-12, Silver Trail Middle, Parkway Middle and Dillard 6-12.
What is the Coral Springs K-6 and 7-12 proposal?
Coral Park, Forest Hills, James S. Hunt and Park Springs elementary schools would extend through sixth grade, and Coral Springs High would expand to serve grades 7-12. Forest Glen Middle would no longer operate as a traditional 6-8 middle school.
Would William E. Dandy Middle definitely close?
No. One option transitions its students to Parkway Middle. The other keeps Dandy open as a 6-8 school and instead moves Dillard 6-12's middle grade students to Parkway, returning Dillard to a 9-12 school.
Could Hollywood Park Elementary stay open?
Possibly. The district lists two options, one that transitions students to Boulevard Heights and West Hollywood, and another consolidation option that keeps Hollywood Park open.
Could more schools be added?
The finalized school proposals are presented September 22, and the final list comes November 4. Several board members have advocated for a longer list.
How do I speak at a School Board meeting?
To comment on a specific agenda item, register at the district's public participation portal by 1:00 p.m. the day before the meeting. To speak on a general topic, register at least five calendar days ahead. If you miss the agenda item deadline, complete a Comment Request Card at the meeting before it starts. Each speaker gets three minutes.
Can I comment without attending?
Yes. Written agenda comments go through the same portal by 1:00 p.m. the day before the meeting, up to 2,250 characters. Your name, city and email are required and become public record.
When are the community meetings?
The district's stakeholder engagement process runs September through October. Dates and locations had not been posted at the time of publication and will appear on the district calendar. Officials have indicated they intend to hold regional sessions rather than a meeting in every affected community.
What if my school is affected and I want to apply elsewhere?
The School Choice application window closes January 15, 2027, one month after the December 15 vote.
Does the November election affect this?
Yes, in two ways. School Board seats are on the November 3 ballot, including a District 6 runoff, and two members are not returning, so the board taking the December vote will not be identical to the one that received this proposal. A countywide school property tax referendum is also on the same ballot.
What is the Broward referendum on the ballot?
A renewal of the district's 1-mill school operating tax, which expires at the end of this year if not renewed. The board has agreed that about 90 percent of an estimated $282.6 million would go to employee pay supplements, with the remaining 10 percent split between mental health support and safety and security. It does not decide whether any specific school closes.
Is Palm Beach County closing schools too?
Not currently. Superintendent Mike Burke said on August 31 that the district is not considering closures, citing growth in parts of the county, and is instead shifting staff and holding a hiring freeze, despite an enrollment drop of nearly 7,000 students. Palm Beach County voters also decide a 1.0 mill referendum renewal on November 3.