Why are so many public schools closing?
September 24, 2025
8 min
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111 of 300
September 24, 2025
Why are so many public schools closing?
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Nprs Planet Money Episodes Around September 24, 2025
Episode 111 of 300 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
8:45This episodeWhy are so many public schools closing?
Summary
Faced with declining enrollment, public school districts across the country are rethinking how many schools they can run. Fewer students often means less government funding, forcing schools to cut services. Yet school closures can disrupt communities and have negative effects on learning. On today’s show, the tough calculus parents and schools confront. <br /><br /><strong>Related episodes: </strong><br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5544525/why-free-public-education-doesnt-always-include-school-supplies" target="_blank">Why ‘free’ public education doesn’t always include school supplies</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/08/26/1197972284/a-food-fight-over-free-school-lunch" target="_blank">A food fight over free school lunch</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/11/15/1197958305/school-vouchers-choice-learning" target="_blank">The evidence of school vouchers that’ll please nobody</a> <br /><br /><em>For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank"><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>. Fact-checking by </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez" target="_blank"><em>Sierra Juarez</em></a><em>. Music by </em><a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><em>Drop Electric</em></a><em>. Find us: </em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>TikTok</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank"><em>Instagram</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money" target="_blank"><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>. </em><br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
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