Overview
- The governing board approved the “4-2” plan to shutter Kyrene de la Colina, Kyrene de la Estrella, Kyrene de las Manitas, Kyrene Traditional Academy, Akimel A-al Middle School, and Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School.
- Closures will roll out in two waves: the three elementary schools in 2026-27, then Kyrene Traditional Academy and the two middle schools in 2027-28.
- Kyrene serves about 12,000 students in facilities built for roughly 20,000, with enrollment projected near 11,000 within five years and a funding loss estimated around $7 million.
- Officials expect multi-million-dollar savings that will not fully cover the projected shortfall, after the board rejected a last-minute “5-1” compromise to keep one middle school open.
- Parents and community members decried the decision and warned of departures, as the district readies new boundaries, bus routes and bell schedules and has yet to decide how to repurpose closed campuses.