ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County school board is holding public hearings tonight for closure plans for seven public schools, and it’s the last time parents and the community can plead to keep the schools open.
The meeting is at 5 p.m. at the school district headquarters in downtown Orlando.
Orange County Public Schools is planning to close six elementary schools and one middle school across the county:
- Bonneville Elementary, in the Lake Pickett area of east Orange County
- Chickasaw Elementary, in the Azalea Park area of east Orange County
- Eccleston Elementary, in west Orange County in the Richmond Heights area
- McCoy Elementary, near Orlando International Airport
- Meadow Woods Elementary, in south Orange County near State Road 417
- Orlo Vista Elementary, in west Orange County off of Kirkman Road
- Union Park Middle, in east Orange County near Dean Road and East Colonial Drive
[WATCH: ‘Potential use’ plans unveiled for 7 Orange County schools up for closure]
If approved, the schools would close starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
News 6 has spoken to parents at several schools over the last few months, and all of them are upset about the plans.
“It still doesn’t make sense to me, honestly. I think it should stay open,” said parent Dehavellin Williams said back in January. “I really just feel like they should just open up the zone more and then they would have more kids honestly, like it’s too many schools over here for kids to be going so far.”
Eccleston Elementary parent Lexus Cutter told News 6’s Jarell Baker in February that the school’s closure means students could now have to walk nearly 50 minutes if rezoned to the nearest campus, Washington Shores Elementary.
“The safety, the traffic that’s going on with this route the kids have to take — will they even make it to school?” Cutter said.
[WATCH: Eccleston Elementary School’s closure could lengthen students’ commute, parents fear]
The district cites declining enrollment as the reason to close the schools, which they blame on a combination of birthrates, immigration policy and aging neighborhoods.
The district also blames the dramatic expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools and homeschooling for all students, regardless of income.
The district said school enrollment dropped by nearly 7,000 students at the beginning of 2025-2026 school year.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez said more school closures could be coming because more enrollment declines are expected.
“We are projected, I believe, for another 5000 students next year, so while I wish I could say this is the last of the consolidations,” Vazquez said in January.