Scottsdale Unified approves closure of two schools amid declining enrollment

The Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board voted Tuesday night to close two schools after weeks of consideration.

Copper Ridge K-8 School and Laguna Elementary School will be shut down after the 2026-27 school year.

The 3-2 vote came after an attempt to delay the closure decision failed.

Board member Matthew Pittinsky says that the district’s enrollment has fallen by 26% since 2010. 

Pittinsky said during the board meeting that he voted in favor of the closures because he believes it’s better to close schools than to cut teachers and programs at other campuses.

“I want SUSD to be in a place where our annual budget cycle stops being about the least bad cuts to our educational programs across all of our schools. I want it to be a place where the district can focus its academic improvement efforts on a smaller number of more fully enrolled schools,” he explained. 

The closures will save the district more than $2.5 million.

Board member Carine Werner voted against the closures, asking the board to consider the impact on the community.

“My entire time on this board, I have tried to be proactive and to ask for growth plans and to push for [other] solutions before [school] closures,” she said. “I cannot support closing additional schools when I don’t believe that we have exhausted those alternatives and so therefore because of these reasons I am a no.” 

Community voiced concerns about Scottsdale Unified closures

At a special meeting in September, community members spoke out against the closures, asking the district for more time before making the final decision.

One community member was concerned about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale’s ability to serve students at Laguna Elementary, located right across the street from the program.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office also said the district violated open meeting laws when drawing up options for closing schools but said it could not order the district to fix the problem because the committee had already finished its work.

Phase 2 committee members involved in the closure decision told KTAR News 92.3 FM the district did not look at financial data or building capacity when choosing which schools to consider.

The three options the board considered involved seven schools, six of which were facing closure and one that was considered for relocation. 

The total capacity for the seven schools is 7,194 students, but only 3,296 are currently enrolled there.

Scottsdale Unified closed two schools, Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon, due to declining enrollment earlier this year.

Multiple other Valley districts have been closing schools in recent years as a way to address declining enrollment trends and budget shortages.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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