{"id":2635292,"date":"2026-07-25T10:23:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schools-shutter-across-us-opening-door-for-seniors-to-move-in\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T10:24:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:24:26","slug":"schools-shutter-across-us-opening-door-for-seniors-to-move-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schools-shutter-across-us-opening-door-for-seniors-to-move-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Schools Shutter Across US Opening Door for Seniors to Move in"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fschools-shutter-across-us-opening-door-for-seniors-to-move-in%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2635292&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Recent data indicates a meaningful decline in U.S. school enrollments, primarily due to a shrinking youth population and lower birth rates. Over 1,000 schools closed during the 2025-26 academic year,representing a 35% increase compared to four years earlier,as reported by the Washington Post,citing the National Center for Education statistics. Many of these vacant school buildings are being repurposed into affordable senior housing, addressing the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >rising senior citizen demographic<\/a>. The trend is fueled by demographic shifts,such as families moving to suburbs for cost-effective living,declining marriage and fertility rates,and an increase in private and charter school enrollments. Additionally, roughly 2,000 apartments are planned through conversions of former schools, with hundreds already in growth. A notable example includes an old Philadelphia school set to become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-government-relaunches-covid-19-testing-program\/\" title=\"Federal Government restarts COVID-19 testing initiative.\">low-income senior housing<\/a>. declining birth rates and changing population dynamics are influencing the closure of public schools and the conversion of vacant properties into housing solutions for seniors.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>New data shows that many schools recently closed due to a shrinking youth population, prompting a rapidly growing senior citizen cohort to move into some of the vacated buildings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">More than 1,000 schools closed during the 2025\u201326 school year, compared with 755 just four years earlier \u2014 a 35 percent increase in school closures across the U.S., the Washington Post <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/us\/shrinking-student-populations-cause-spike-in-public-school-closures-across-us\/ar-AA28hrUR?uxmode=ruby&#038;ctsrc=dgst&#038;ocid=edgntpruby&#038;pc=HCTS&#038;cvid=6a5e1b133c6e433e9c6b5a5729f9b095&#038;ei=20\"><u><span class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__textUnderline\">reported<\/span><\/u><\/a>  citing data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Other reports show that at the same time, vacant schools throughout the country are turning into affordable senior living apartments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cWe call it the big shrink,\u201d Marguerite Roza who tracks school funding as director of Georgetown University\u2019s Edunomics lab, said according to the Post. \u201cEnrollment at public schools is declining, partly because there are fewer kids in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Many schools are seeing a decline in enrollment due to declining birth rates and population shifts as families move to the suburbs for cheaper living, the outlet reported. Students are also being moved to private and charter schools as parents take advantage of scholarship programs. Future closures are planned in cities like Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Broward County, Florida.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\"><u><b><\/b><\/u>Meanwhile, a RentCafe report found that nearly 2,000 apartments were created from former public school buildings, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/real-estate\/articles\/vacant-schools-across-u-being-123000465.html\"><u><span class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__textUnderline\">according<\/span><\/u><\/a>  to Moneywise. There were 9,320 units of school-to-apartment conversions in the development pipeline at the start of 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">A more-than-a-century-old school building in Philadelphia that has been vacant for over 20 years is set to be repurposed as low-income housing for senior citizens, WHYY <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/whyy.org\/articles\/strawberry-mansion-philadelphia-rudolph-walton-elementary-senior-housing\/?utm_campaign=sproutsocial&#038;utm_content=1784549913&#038;utm_medium=post&#038;utm_source=twitter\">reported<\/a> Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">As the birth rates are declining in the U.S., the country\u2019s death rate has significantly decreased\u00a0in the last couple of years. Public school enrollment has been declining since 2019, according to the Washington Post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Data shows that fertility rates are at a record time low and the U.S. marriage rate fell to an all-time low in 140 years in 2019.\u00a0 U.S. Census data also shows that 52% of families have both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/women-dont-need-to-make-a-lot-of-money-to-start-a-family\/\" title=\"Women Don\u2019t Need To Make A Lot Of Money To Start A Family\">parents working full-time<\/a> for financial security.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. 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( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recent data indicates a surge in school closures due to declining youth numbers, with over 1,000 schools shut in 2025-26, up from 755 four years prior-a 35% rise nationwide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2635293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_0669.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[83187,5152,83186,83185,83184],"class_list":["post-2635292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-communityrelocation","tag-education","tag-housingoptions","tag-schoolclosures","tag-seniorliving"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_0669.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2635292"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2635296,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2635292\/revisions\/2635296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2635293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2635292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2635292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2635292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}