Consolidation, of School Districts

Consolidation is the merging or reorganizing of two or more schools or districts into one larger unit. Although much consolidation of districts and schools has occurred over the past 150 years, the topic remains a subject of controversy.

Statistics on numbers of schools and school districts show that since 1869 to 1870, both the number of schools and the number of districts have declined drastically, while student enrollment has grown. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that 116,312 public schools existed in 1869 to 1870; by 2000 to 2001, there were 92,273 schools. The [Page 194]fewest schools, reported at 83,165, existed in 1988 to 1989. These data may reflect the patterns of consolidation and declining enrollments during the 1970s and 1980s and the recent enrollment boom (see Table 1).

The number of school districts has also declined. NCES reports that in 1939 to 1940, there were 117,108 school districts. By 1979 to 1980, the number of school districts had declined to 15,929. NCES estimates that there were 14,928 school districts in 1999 to 2000.

In 2000 to 2001, 71.3 % of the school districts in the United States had fewer than 2,500 students enrolled. Only 18% of 46.9 million students enrolled in U.S. schools attended these schools. Districts with 25,000 and more students comprised 1.6% of total U.S. school districts and enrolled 32.4% of the student population. In 2000 to 2001, there were 411 one-teacher schools in existence (see Table 2).

Consolidation is often the suggested remedy in school finance litigation, especially when the plaintiffs are rural school districts. Plaintiffs claim inequities and/or inadequacies in funding for rural schools, and defendants respond that consolidation is the remedy.

Many arguments for consolidation exist. One of the most frequently used arguments is the efficiency argument. Proponents of consolidation argue that larger districts can take better advantage of economies of scale. Purchasing power may be increased as districts realize discount prices due to large volume purchases. Student services, such as school lunch programs, may be more efficient by doing volume purchasing. Advocates also posit that administrative costs will be cut, as larger districts mean fewer administrators. For example, a district needs only one superintendent; consolidation of smaller districts means fewer superintendents. Consolidation of smaller schools may provide opportunities to lower administrative and custodial costs at the school level.

Proponents of consolidation also point to the inability of smaller districts and schools to offer a curriculum that larger districts and schools are able to offer. Twenty-six percent of U.S. school districts have fewer than 600 students; these districts are educating 3% of the student population. Districts of this size have difficulty offering the curriculum that a much larger district might offer. Placing highly qualified teachers in the various sciences and advanced courses in math, English, and social science classrooms is a challenge.

Efforts to provide high school students with more curricular opportunities have resulted in the construction of regional high schools. While this is laudable, there are the costs of construction and increased transportation. Moving students from small, local schools to distant locations increases the time students must spend on the bus.

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