Lakewood Observer: "Good News: Proof That Lakewood Schools Can Move On"

This article appeared in the Lakewood Observer on October 1, 2025.

by Zach Robock

Balanced Building Utilization And Stable Enrollment In Lakewood Elementary Schools Means No Closure Or Major Redistricting Is Needed

Why Elementary School Closure is (still) the Wrong Answer to Problems that Don’t Exist

Good news: Elementary school utilization across Lakewood’s seven elementary schools is currently well-balanced, elementary enrollment over the last five years is stable, and no major redistricting or school closure is required. 

This aligns with the overwhelming community sentiment against closing an elementary school expressed in Monday’s community tabletop meeting, community surveys, and community comments during Board of Education meetings over the past year.

When the Task Force began, a key criteria was that each school should be above 60% utilization and below 80-85% utilization.  This criteria is already achieved in every school.  Grant is on the higher end of this range because it houses the district-wide gifted program, which has 65 students, many of whom would not otherwise attend Grant as their home school.  Without the gifted program, Grant would be around 65-70% and all other schools would push up a little.

2024-25 Enrollment – Current Boundaries
School	Capacity	2024-25 Enrollment	Utilization (%)
Emerson	440	289	66%
Grant	396	324	82%
Harrison	418	276	66%
Hayes	440	304	69%
Horace Mann	330	226	68%
Lincoln	374	261	70%
Roosevelt	352	221	63%
Total	2,750	1,899	69%
Source: Lakewood City School District, FutureThink – Feb. 2025 PPT, Slide 14. Includes Pre-K students at Grant (17), Harrison (41), Hayes (60), Horace Mann (37), and Lincoln (25).  Does not include Pre-K at Taft (34).
Author’s Adjustment: Capacity and enrollment of special needs Horace Mann-CHAMPS (64 capacity / 35 enrolled) and Emerson-Rise n Stars (40 capacity / 30 enrolled) students are subtracted in this chart.  This is to ensure that special education resources are specially allocated and protected from any consolidation or reduction.

In a non-public document shared only with the Task Force, the district modeled out utilization rates based on enrollment projections.  In each scenario, the utilization rates become very unbalanced.

This data shows that existing boundaries are already drawn well.  The district has stated that if we don’t close an elementary school, then major redistricting would be needed.  However, this is a false dilemma.  The data shows no compelling reason to make any significant changes, which should come as welcome news for everyone.

Personally, I like my public spaces around two-thirds full – enough to feel vibrant, but not crammed in.  I acknowledge it would be nice to push school utilization a little higher, but closing an elementary school is not the solution.  Based on the latest district data, elementary enrollment is stable, and only 60% of babies born in Lakewood matriculate to Lakewood public kindergarten. While 60% is a 10-year high (indicating positive momentum), this means 40% move out of the city or attend non-public schools. We also have substantial new residential construction underway.  My kids’ experience in the Lakewood elementary schools has been wonderful overall and I am deeply grateful to the incredible teachers and staff who make that possible. 

A better way to push up building utilization would be to showcase Lakewood’s walkability, stability, educational quality, and investment in public education. This sentiment was widely shared during Monday’s community tabletop meeting, and some great ideas emerged. I urge the Board of Education – who was absent from this event – to watch the entire meeting carefully.

Finally, students are not widgets, schools are not factories, and shifting students around to different schools has implications beyond just numbers on a spreadsheet. 

Stability is a key factor in kids’ educational experiences and outcomes. 

This decision would have profound impacts on the lived experiences of students, families, community members, teachers, and staff. Hundreds of children and families would be uprooted from one of the most important stabilizing institutions in their lives – familiar teachers, staff, friends, and routines. Walking to school will no longer be a safe or practical option for many. Additional cars added to dropoff lines will make other walking commutes less safe, add pollution, and add congestion to other driving commutes. The neighborhood bonding that accompanies walking our children to school will be diminished. Teachers and staff would lose their jobs. Having an extra few classrooms in a school building should be viewed as an asset and opportunity – a space for creative curriculum, a room for the winter and rainy days when recess moves indoors, a community meeting space for PTA or other meetings, an extra neighborhood Pre-K class, and room to expand as we attract new residents to our city.

We are a resilient community, and the sky will not fall if a school is closed, but it will significantly impact the lives of thousands of people. If there is a clear and compelling benefit to the community, and appropriate transition planning for impacted families, then we should be open to making that difficult decision. But this is a completely voluntary decision – we are not under the fiscal constraints of the Cleveland school district, which has a reported $150m budget shortfall and must close schools. The Lakewood district has stated since Day 1 that this should not be a financial decision, and the projected savings are nominal anyway. 

There is no external factor that requires any specific change. 

Any decision is supposed to improve the educational outcomes and experience for ALL students, including those who would be directly impacted. If none of the proposals clearly and convincingly improve educational outcomes and experiences, while ensuring robust transition support for those directly affected, then we should put this issue to rest and refocus our efforts on restoring community trust and investing our time and energy in supporting the amazing teachers, staff, and community that make our schools worth fighting for.

Read this article in the Lakewood Observer.

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