Yet another Central Florida school district is considering closing schools due to under enrollment. This time it’s Cape View Elementary in Brevard Public Schools.
The Brevard County School Board and City of Cape Canaveral are meeting Tuesday at 1 p.m. to discuss the potential school closure at a joint meeting workshop.
The meeting can be livestreamed here:
The workshop comes weeks before the board will formally decide whether to close the school at its regularly scheduled Jan. 20 board meeting.
Brevard Public Schools says under enrollment and budget shortfalls are forcing the district to consider closing Cape View. If closed, students would attend nearby Roosevelt Elementary instead.
After hearing from parents and elementary school students at its last board meeting, members say they are considering grants to potentially keep the school open.
Brevard is the second Central Florida public school district that has had to consider making the difficult decision to close schools.
In December, the school board of Orange County Public Schools voted to start the rezoning process around seven schools that could close in the district, citing an aging population, low birthrate and the state’s universal voucher program.
The seven schools that could close in Orange County Public Schools are: Bonneville, Chickasaw, Eccleston, McCoy, Meadow Woods, and Orlo Vista elementary schools, and Union Park Middle School.
The district has grappled with a shortage of over 5,000 students this year and a $41 million dollar budget shortfall.
An audit of the state’s voucher program found a funding shortfall of $398 million during the 2024-2025 school year. It also found funding inequities in some public schools.
More than 500,000 students in Florida now attend a school using a voucher.
Reporting by Central Florida Public Media found that enrollment was down at every public school district in Central Florida in the fall, except for Sumter County.
Most schools blamed the state’s universal voucher program. Gov. Ron DeSantis and other supporters say the program is crucial when it comes to protecting parental choice and freedom in Florida.
