In a memo sent to families Tuesday night, Orange County Public Schools said it is making another $8.5 million in budget cuts after its 10-day enrollment count last week showed about 7,672 fewer students than projected.
The memo said lower enrollment will result in less state funding, which is largely based on student enrollment. The state provides about $9,300 per student.
The $8.5 million in additional cuts will come from the district’s central office. OCPS said the cuts are part of its $7.53 billion operating and capital budgets.
These cuts follow the elimination of more than 200 district-level positions last year and a 5% reduction in district department budgets over the past two years.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez said in June that the district was already facing a $40 million shortfall, but the district has not yet determined how many positions will be affected by the latest cuts.
Scott Howat, OCPS’ chief communications officer, said principals are now reviewing staffing based on enrollment.
“Student enrollment really drives how we staff our schools,” Howat said. “They're going through to see which positions are vacant, which ones are occupied, what it looks like when you go through the leveling process.”
He said the district goes through this process every year, but it’s too early to know how many people will be affected.
“We won't know exactly how many people are impacted versus positions, because you have to go through that process at the school level,” Howat said.
Although Vazquez said she does not expect additional school closures this year, Howat said declining enrollment could lead to those discussions in the future.
“We're not going to talk about consolidating schools this year necessarily for next year,” Howat said. “When we have those conversations for future years, those will have to be discussed at some point, because enrollments are down kind of across the board, especially in elementary school.”
That enrollment decline led the district to already close six elementary schools and one middle school this year, moving more than 2,000 students to other campuses.
The memo also cites rising health care costs as another pressure on the district’s budget. OCPS says each month without changes to its health insurance plan costs the district an additional $20 million.
The district said its priority is to protect classroom instruction and essential services while maintaining financial stability.
“While these decisions are difficult, our priority remains protecting classroom instruction, supporting students and preserving essential services whenever possible,” the memo said.
The Numbers based on OCPS 10-day counts from 2023-2026 by school:
Total enrollment for elementary including VPK over the years, down 8,004 students since 2023:
2026: 68,211
2025: 72,730
2024: 75,795
2023: 76,215
Total enrollment for middle school, down 3,443 students since 2023:
2026: 35,246
2025: 36,785
2024: 37,951
2023: 38,689
Total enrollment for high school, down 2,283 students since 2023:
2026: 58,463
2025: 60,525
2024: 60,128
2023: 60,746
Total enrollment for charter schools, up 1,298 since 2023:
2026: 18,219
2025: 17,997
2024: 18,137
2023: 16,921
Total enrollment for alternative schools, up 21 students since 2023 but down 47 since 2025:
2026: 2,657
2025: 2,704
2024: 2,478
2023: 2,636
