Beaverton families could see school closures, boundary redraws and program relocations under a two-year plan Superintendent Tony Smith laid out at an Oct. 13 board meeting.

As first reported by the Oregonian, Smith wrote in a memo to board members that the district "cannot continue to provide a full and rich educational experience with the same configuration of schools in the face of a substantial decline in the number of students attending them." No individual schools have been targeted for closure, he wrote in the same memo.

The announcement lands as school districts across Oregon grapple with shrinking enrollment. OPB reported Oct. 16 that Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong is "leaning into" a closure plan that would shutter 11 schools instead of 14. OPB identified Beaverton and Medford as districts beginning similar conversations.

The numbers behind the push

BSD's enrollment has dropped sharply since 2019. Robert McCracken, the district's demographics and facility planning specialist, told board members that fall 2019 enrollment stood at 41,374. The Oregonian reported current enrollment at 36,187, a loss of about 5,200 students, or roughly 13%. KGW reported a different baseline, placing 2026-27 enrollment at 35,351, down from a peak of 40,629.

McCracken projected the district will lose another 3,000 to 7,000 students over the next decade. Even the low end equals enough students to fill five high schools, he said.

Elementary schools have borne the brunt. In 2019, the district had 11 elementary schools with more than 625 students. Now there are four. The number of elementary schools with 350 or fewer students jumped from six to 13, according to the Oregonian.

Budget gap and reserves

The district faces a $17.3 million shortfall for the 2026-27 school year and projects a $42 million gap for 2027-28, growing to $46 million the year after, according to the Oregonian. Chief Financial Officer Jessica Jones pointed to rising costs, increased staffing and funding cuts tied to declining enrollment, KGW reported.

BSD holds about $168 million in reserves, far more than Portland or Salem-Keizer. Smith said those funds would soften the blow as the district adjusts staffing. But one-time reserves cannot patch recurring expenses indefinitely, he warned.

What's driving the decline

McCracken attributed the losses to a declining birthrate, slowing in-migration and high housing costs. He singled out Intel layoffs as a factor reducing the number of families moving into Washington County.

"What we're actually seeing is fewer people are moving into the district to offset the number of students who might be leaving," McCracken told the Oregonian.

Students leaving for home-schooling and virtual charter schools spiked during the pandemic and have since flattened, McCracken said, but remain above pre-pandemic levels. Winning those families back alone would not offset the broader demographic trends.

What comes next

Smith outlined a two-step approach: stabilize the budget first, then address the district's physical footprint. Budget proposals are expected by January 2027, according to the district's timeline. Proposals for boundary changes, program moves or closures could come in September 2027, with a board vote in December 2027. Changes would take effect in fall 2028.

Parent Rebekah Colasurdo urged board members at the Oct. 13 meeting to try boundary changes before closing buildings. She said enrollment and building capacity "should not be the only measures of a school's value" and asked the board to weigh academic outcomes and community connections.

The district closed one small elementary school, McKay K-5, in June 2026 with the support of its teachers and staff. In 2024, a facilities committee floated closing up to four elementary schools, prompting immediate pushback and a pause.

Smith said the process would be transparent and would include community input, but he cautioned against expecting easy fixes. The district plans community conversations throughout the 2026-27 school year before any specific proposals take shape.