The High School Phase-Out Process:
Assessing the Impact on Students Enrolled in Schools Identified for Closure

Closing the lowest-performing schools is one component of the NYC Department of Education’s school turnaround process. Between 2003 and 2009, 33 high schools were closed or scheduled for closure. This study assesses the impact that closing a high school has on students, school staff, and the community. The first stage of work involves secondary data analysis to examine how closing large comprehensive high schools has influenced the students who were enrolled in the high school at the time it was identified for closure. We compare students enrolled in closing schools with previous cohorts of students from those same schools who attended these schools before they were designated for closure. A second stage of the project assesses the impact school closure had on students who would most likely have attended that school had it remained open. Finally, a third stage of the project as focuses on the impact school closures have on teachers and the communities surrounding these schools. The findings will provide useful insights into policies or interventions that can support students as their schools undergo dramatic transformations.

This project is funded with Research Alliance general support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Robertson Foundation.

Key Staff and Collaborators

James Kemple, Nickisha Stephenson, William Marinell, Adriana Villavicencio, and Thomas Gold

Publications

Working paper in progress.