Education programs are already feeling the hit.
Last year, 1,156 public schools closed in the United States.
That’s the most since the pandemic, and more closures are coming.
Yet surprisingly little attention is being paid to what these closures mean for Christian higher education.
Public schools lost more than 1.4 million students between 2019 and 2024, about 3% of enrollment. Districts have been slow to reduce the number of schools they operate to match.
Now they’re catching up.
Here in St. Louis, the school board just approved closing nine schools. Portland is considering closing as many as 14, and Cleveland’s restructuring includes 29 school closures.
Cleveland’s plan also included layoffs of 86 administrators and 146 teachers.
Christian college education programs are already facing a changing market.
Consider graduate programs in educational leadership and school administration.
As districts consolidate schools, they need fewer principals and administrators. That reduces opportunities for aspiring school leaders and puts additional pressure on graduate programs competing for their enrollment.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics now projects essentially no growth in K–12 education administrator employment through 2035.
Undergraduate education programs face immediate challenges, too.
School closures and consolidations can disrupt student-teaching placements, reduce the availability of supervising teachers, and eliminate relationships with schools that have hosted students for years.
Colleges that depend on a handful of school districts for clinical placements could find themselves scrambling to accommodate their students.
Christian colleges need to respond now. Here are three things I recommend.
1. Reassess demand for your education programs.
Study school closures, teacher vacancies, administrative positions, and enrollment trends in the districts where your graduates work. Determine whether your programs are preparing more graduates than the local market can absorb.
2. Strengthen your student-teaching partnerships.
Meet with district leaders to understand how consolidation will affect placements. Expand partnerships with other public, private, and Christian schools so students have reliable opportunities to complete their clinical requirements.
3. Adjust your academic programs to changing demand.
Reevaluate the size and focus of graduate leadership programs. Look for opportunities to serve working teachers through specialized credentials and endorsements in areas where districts are still hiring.
The market for education graduates is changing, and colleges cannot assume that programs built for yesterday’s demand will remain viable tomorrow.
The time to evaluate these programs is before enrollment declines force the decision.
At TG Three, we help Christian colleges evaluate market demand, strengthen their academic portfolios, and develop strategies for sustainable enrollment growth.
If your academic programs are feeling the pressure, let’s talk