Parents, officials fight plans to close these Broward schools with low enrollment
The Broward County School Board is engaging the community in its Redefining Phase 2, and the community responded to those plans at a workshop held Tuesday, Oct. 7.
In response to budget concerns and decreasing enrollment, Broward County Public Schools is considering combining some student bodies and closing several elementary, middle and high schools .
None of the plans include closing a school permanently, but many would repurpose the buildings for another district use.
Here are some of the schools under consideration:
Miramar
- Close either Fairway Elementary or Sunshine Elementary and combine them.
- Close Glades Middle and repurpose as a branch campus for Sheridan Technical College.
Pembroke Pines
- Close Panther Run Elementary and combine with Chapel Trail Elementary.
- Close either Palm Cove Elementary or Pines Lakes Elementary and combine them.
Coral Springs
- Close Forest Glen Middle and assign students to Coral Springs Middle, Ramblewood Middle and Sawgrass Springs Middle.
How we got here
Throughout August and September, the school board held meetings with communities and municipal governments, collecting hundreds of responses to the plans.
In addition to combining schools, the board proposes adding an autism school to a few schools, or creating an autism school out of one of the closed schools. Some changes would result in schools going from middle schools to 6-12, and elementary schools to K-8.
Not including the cost of repurposing the schools, closing just one of these schools would have a significant financial impact. Closing one elementary school would lead to an estimated $1.8 million in savings, $2.7 million for a middle school and $4.3 million for a high school.
What they’re saying
As for public comment, the majority of parents and city officials were against closing schools in their city.
Parents have started a #SavePantherRun social media campaign in response to the proposals.
Cindy Kim, vice president of the Glades Middle PTSA in Miramar, proposed alternatives to closing the school.
“We’re asking the board to redefine Glades Middle School as a dual magnet school for STEM and advanced academics,” she said at the workshop. “And this makes sense, because Glades already has both the infrastructure and the teachers in place to deliver this curriculum at a very high level.”
Kim said that Glades delivers a higher quality education than other middle schools. Glades Middle School’s enrollment has declined significantly over the years, with a large number of students choosing charter schools. It went from 1,034 students during the 2024-25 school year to 862 in 2025-26, according to the school board’s presentation.
District 4 board member Lori Alhadeff advocated for Forest Glen Middle in Coral Springs to her colleagues.
“We have 36 middle schools. Out of the 36 middle schools, 19 are under-enrolled more than Forest Glen Middle School,” Alhadeff said. “I think that its ridiculous that we would even be thinking about potentially closing Forest Glen Middle School.”
What’s upcoming
More meetings are scheduled to follow the Oct. 7 workshop:
- North regional meeting at Coral Springs High on Oct. 27
- Central regional meeting at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 6
- South regional meeting at Miramar High on Nov. 13
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Parents, officials fight plans to close these Broward schools with low enrollment."
