Boston Schools Face $1.7 Billion Budget Squeeze From Enrollment Decline

Boston Public Schools has put forward a $1.7 billion budget for the upcoming year that includes more than 400 staff cuts, with 265 teaching positions and 161 paraprofessional positions slated for elimination. The reductions stem directly from school closures and enrollment decline, according to the district's outline.

Enrollment Decline and Closure Decisions Set the Stage

School closures have driven much of the current fiscal adjustment. The Croft School is scheduled to close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year after failed attempts to sell the building. More than 60 families unenrolled over the weekend following the announcement. These steps reflect the cumulative effect of lower student numbers across the district.

Graduation Gains Provide Counterpoint to Cuts

The BPS class of 2025 recorded the highest high school graduation rate in the district's history at 81.3 percent. Four hundred more students graduated than in the prior year. This outcome occurred even as enrollment trends prompted the current budget reductions.

Separate Funding Streams Address Inclusion and Language Needs

The City of Boston is directing an additional $10 million in FY26 toward inclusive practices and $4 million to support multilingual learners. These allocations will fund four new bilingual programs and three newcomer programs. At the same time, the proposed budget cuts will remove more than 100 classroom aides, creating concerns that the changes could affect the district's target of having all children with disabilities learn in the same classrooms by 2027.

School leaders will now work through the budget process to determine how the staffing reductions interact with the new program investments. Families affected by the Croft School closure continue to seek placement options for the next school year.