On Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Public School District leaders shared new details about potential school closures. 

The district has been working with a consulting firm to find solutions for declining enrollment. Last fall, the firm recommended closing 14 schools, changing the grade configuration of 12 schools, and relocating another three. 

"We've tried to keep the student experience at the center of our thinking. So yes, we've absolutely listened closely and responded to community feedback," said Jonathan Travers, president of Education Resource Strategies at the time of the recommendation. 

In early November, Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters announced that no school changes would be taking place during the 2025-26 school year while the comprehensive review of the facilities continued.

During a meeting, the district leaders said they support all of the recommendations except for the relocation of the student achievement center to the Roosevelt Facility, saying those services can be provided within feeder schools. 

"Tonight's report is not merely an evaluation of physical spaces or enrollment numbers," said PPS Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters. "It is a call to reimagine our educational practices to ensure that every student, regardless of background or neighborhood, benefits from expanded opportunities and experiences."

The district's leadership team said they will support transitioning six K-8 schools to K-5 models: Brookline, Greenfield, Langley, Mifflin, Morrow, and Sunnyside. They also support converting three PreK-8 schools into dedicated 6-8 middle schools: Arlington, Carmalt, and Colfax. Three 6-12 schools will be shifted to 9-12 high schools: Westinghouse, Obama, and SciTech. 

Two schools, Obama and Arsenal, will also expand their international baccalaureate middle years programs and the additional space can be used for resources such as tutoring, mental health services, after-school programs, and other community partnerships. 

Allegheny PreK-5, Dilworth PreK-5, and Liberty PreK-5 will also be transitioned from full magnet programs to neighborhood schools. 

CAPA and Montessori will also become full magnet schools, but the district's plan said that further exploration is needed to "assess the feasibility of operating CAPA as two separate schools within the same facility." 

As a result of declining enrollment and other factors, the report also recommends closing 14 schools and 10 facilities. They include: Allegheny 6-8, Arsenal PreK-5, Fulton PreK-5, King PreK-8, Linden PreK-5, Manchester PreK-8, Miller PreK-5, Milliones 6-12, Schiller 6-8, Spring Hill K-5, Woolslair PreK-5, Roosevelt K-5, South Brook 6-8, and South Hills 6-8.

Finally, the leadership team issued support for the creation of three new schools - a neighborhood middle school STEM pathway at the Manchester facility, a new SciTech middle school at the Milliones facility, and a new PreK-5 school at Northview. 

The full report and presentation can be accessed at this link. 

The next step in the process is a board vote which will be open to public comment. 

Those hearings are slated to begin in April.