Student enrollment at Pittsburgh Public Schools this fall declined 2% over last fall, and 23 of the district’s schools enroll less than 250 students, according to data released this week by the school district.

PPS enrolled 17,937 students from Kindergarten to 12th grade this fall; a decline of 375 students from last year’s enrollment of 18,312.

It’s part of a ten-year trend: PPS enrollment has decreased by 22.8% since the 2015-16 school year, while the total number of school-aged children living within the PPS boundary declined by 12.6% over the same period, according to the district.

In that same time frame, charter school enrollment increased 46.6% but private school enrollment decreased by 11.5%, according to PPS.

“While our overall enrollment continues to decline, we are encouraged by early signs of stabilization among our youngest learners. These are signs that our work to rebuild trust with families is taking hold,” said Superintendent Wayne N. Walters.

Walters noted 23 of the district’s schools enroll less than 250 students, and another five enrolling less than 300.

“These small enrollments weaken the district’s ability to offer comprehensive programming, create staffing inefficiencies, and deepen inequities between schools with abundant opportunities and those with limited course offerings,” the district said in a statement.

In November, the school board turned down a plan that would have closed the Student Achievement Center (Baxter School); Friendship; Schiller; Manchester; Fulton; McKelvy (Miller PreK-5); Woolslair; Spring Hill and Morrow.

Critics of the plan argued there was not enough clarity or public input for the decisions, and that closures were unnecessary. Proponents of the plan claimed it would improve equity and student outcomes across the district. The administration said it proposed the plan because of declining enrollment, aging infrastructure and underutilized buildings.

District officials say because that plan was rejected, they now project a $6 million budget deficit and propose a 4% tax hike. Three new members have since joined the school board. It’s unclear if or when the district will revisit the “Future-Ready” plan. PPS data found that most year-to-year enrollment changes happen because families move out of the district rather than transfer. On average, about 89% of PPS students remain enrolled from June to October each year, while about 1% transfer to private schools, 2.8% to charter schools and 7.2% move out of the district, according to PPS.

After fifth grade, 216 students leave PPS and 130 students join; after eighth grade, an average of 302 students leave and 245 join, according to PPS.

The report recommends PPS strengthen family outreach and engagement to improve retention; conduct targeted recruitment in neighborhoods with low PPS enrollment rates; survey families who leave after fifth and eighth grades to understand their decision; and evaluate building configuration and utilization.

School officials are encouraged over stable early childhood and kindergarten numbers.

Early childhood program enrollment increased 1.27%, to 1,278 students from 1,258 last year, according to PPS.

Enrollment numbers from kindergarten to fifth grade saw the smallest year-over-year change, declining 35 students from last year to this year.

PPS enrolls 67% of kindergarten-aged children living in the district. From 2021–2025, kindergarten enrollment averaged 1,547 students, according to PPS. That number was 1,418 during the covid-19 pandemic period, and 1,912 before the pandemic.

Just under 11% of PPS students this year are English Language Learners, a 3% increase from the 2015-16 school year, according to PPS.

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