Impact of School District Consolidation on Student Achievement in Mississippi (2019), Jackson State University
A review of school district consolidations in Mississippi showed that standardized test scores were lower across most language and math proficiency levels four years following consolidation. The test score decreases were statistically significant.
Effects of School District Consolidation in Arkansas (2021), University of Arkansas, Office for Education Policy
A review of consolidations in Arkansas found small positive achievement impacts, little to no fiscal benefit. “School district consolidation has been an important and sometime contentious reform in Arkansas. Overall, it appears that the first wave of consolidations under Act 60 may have had small positive effects on achievement but did little to improve the efficiency of the state’s smaller school districts.”
The Fiscal Consequences of School Closures in California (2026), Stanford University
“There may also be nominal savings in facilities, but labor is far and away the largest portion (85-95%) of the budget, and savings there will be more consequential over the long term.”
The Long Shadow of School Closures: Impacts on Students’ Educational and Labor Market Outcomes (2023), University of Houston
A review of closure impacts across Texas finds long-term negative effects on high school graduation, college attainment, employment, and earnings. Shorter-term negative impacts on reading and math achievement resolve within three years, except for those moving to worse performing schools and those moving during secondary years. Behavior issues increase even for those moving to better performing schools and persist over time. An increase in absenteeism is noted in urban school closures.
The Effects of Closing Urban Schools on Students’ Academic and Behavioral Outcomes: Evidence from Philadelphia (2019), Economics of Education Review
“School absences increased significantly for displaced students following closure. We also find that the achievement of displaced and receiving-school students declined as the fraction of displaced students attending a receiving-school increased, and displaced students missed more days of school and received more suspension days the farther they traveled to their new school following closure.”
School Closings in Chicago (2018), University of Chicago Consortium on School Research
This study found that the effects of school closures on student achievement are negative to mixed.
School District Rightsizing (2025), Texas Christian University
“The meager savings that school closures may yield are often offset by hidden costs, including increased transportation expenses, facility upgrades at receiving schools, and maintenance of vacant buildings.”
Related: Understanding Rightsizing: School Consolidation and Hidden Costs (2025), Texas Christian University
Should Failing Schools Be Closed? (2019), The Manhattan Institute
A review found positive impacts from school closures when students are moved into more effective environments. “Thus, for school closure to have a positive effect on its current students, the new school they attend must not only be better, but better by a large enough margin to overcome the negative effect of the transition.”
