Albuquerque Public Schools has launched the initiative asking families and the community how to manage underused school buildings as enrollment falls, stressing that no closures or consolidations have been proposed.
Albuquerque Public Schools has begun gathering community input on managing underused school buildings following a decline of about 20,000 students since 2018. The district held its first public meeting on the “right-sizing” initiative, emphasizing that no closures or consolidations have been proposed and no decisions have been made.
Officials attribute the enrollment drop to falling birth rates and families leaving the state, leaving nearly a quarter of schools with fewer than 250 students. Declining enrollment strains budgets and limits programs, staffing, and services. The district will collect feedback through early 2027 before considering potential changes, including repurposing campuses.
The APS Board of Education approved a resolution to launch public meetings on the district’s long-term facility needs and gather input before considering possible changes.
Officials held their first community conversation for the initiative, known as right-sizing, on Monday night at Cibola High School. The effort aims to help the district make better use of its buildings and resources while maintaining the quality of education.
Deputy Superintendent of Operations Antonio Gonzales told board members that no decisions had been made and that no recommendations would be presented during the talk on the district’s long-term facility needs.
The district will review community feedback over the winter and return to the board in early 2027 to discuss priorities and possible next steps. Any specific proposals would come later.
Enrollment decline leaves schools underused
APS has lost roughly 20,000 students since 2018, when enrollment stood at about 84,000. By the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the district had fewer than 64,000 students.
District officials attribute the decline mainly to falling birth rates in Bernalillo County and families with school-age children moving out of state.
Although enrollment is expected to eventually stabilize, APS projects that its student population will remain well below levels seen in previous decades.
The decline has left many campuses operating below capacity. Nearly one in four APS schools has fewer than 250 students, while about one in six operates at less than half its intended capacity.
Smaller enrollments can make it harder for schools to offer a broad range of classes, extracurricular activities and student support services.
“As school populations decrease, it becomes harder to sustain the same programs, services, and staffing,” said Randy Mahlerwein, deputy superintendent for leadership and learning.
Fewer students, fewer opportunities
Schools with small student populations may struggle to maintain full-time positions for counselors, librarians, nurses and art and music teachers. These specialists often have to divide their time among several campuses.
Students may also have fewer elective courses and extracurricular activities, while teachers have fewer opportunities to collaborate.
Maintaining underused buildings adds to the pressure on the district’s budget. APS spends about $50,000 a day on utilities alone, according to the district’s presentation, as maintenance costs rise and pandemic relief funding expires.
Uncertain state revenues and unpredictable federal funding further complicate long-term planning.
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District officials say the challenge is to match school facilities to enrollment while ensuring students retain access to essential services and educational opportunities.
Repurposing campuses among the options
One possibility is to convert underused buildings into early childhood centers, dual-language academies or specialized high schools. District officials cited such approaches as examples of how campuses might be repurposed, not as recommendations for specific schools.
School districts across the country are facing similar enrollment declines and reassessing how they use their facilities.
APS wants community input before developing proposals that could affect school locations, attendance boundaries or educational programs. Feedback gathered during the engagement process will help shape discussions with the school board in early 2027.
The district has scheduled community meetings at high schools across Albuquerque, including sessions in October and November 2026 and January 2027. A Nov. 2 meeting at the Berna Facio Professional Development Center will offer sessions for speakers of several languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Kinyarwanda, Swahili and Vietnamese.
