COLLINSVILLE — The Collinsville School Board voted Tuesday to close Jefferson Elementary at the end of the school year, citing low enrollment.
Students will be reassigned by address to either Summit or Twin Echo elementary schools. All staff members will be offered new jobs in the Collinsville School District.
“This decision was not easy due to the lasting influence Jefferson Elementary and its staff have had on generations of students in our community,†reads a statement Wednesday from the district. “Next year will look different, but children are resilient and our students will continue to prosper, regardless of the school setting, because of our district’s strong partnership between home and school.â€
Jefferson’s enrollment this year was 79 students, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Only nine students registered to attend kindergarten at the school next year. Collinsville’s total enrollment over 11 schools is 5,779 students, down from 6,607 a decade ago. The district closed Hollywood Heights Elementary in 2009.
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Summit Elementary has even fewer students than Jefferson, with 70. But the Jefferson building is not accessible to people with disabilities and Summit has one level. Improvements at Jefferson including an elevator, a dedicated gymnasium and updated restrooms would cost more than $1 million dollars, according to a presentation at the board meeting Tuesday.
School enrollment is on the decline across the ºüÀêÊÓƵ region, mostly due to falling birth rates and a general westward population shift.
Truman Elementary in Franklin County will also close this fall after enrollment in the Meramec Valley School District dropped nearly 9% over the past 10 years.
The Fox School District in Jefferson County is considering an elementary school closure for the 2024-2025 school year.
Private schools have not been immune to the widespread enrollment decline. In Illinois, the Catholic grade schools Notre Dame Academy in Belleville and St. Ann in Nashville will close this year. This is also the last school year for Archdiocese of ºüÀêÊÓƵ grade schools Little Flower in Richmond Heights, St. Monica in Creve Coeur and St. Roch in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.