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From kindergarten to college, many Ohio schools permanently close as the academic year ends

Fairwood Elementary was built in 1921 by Howard Dwight Smith, who had previously designed the Ohio Stadium.
Tyler Thompson
/
WOSU
Fairwood Elementary is one of several Columbus City Schools buildings that permanently closed at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.

When the school year wrapped up, it also marked the end of the line for several Columbus City Schools buildings.

The district plans to shut down eight buildings over the next few years to plug a massive budget deficit.

CCS is not alone. Cleveland is closing 18 of its school buildings. It’s not just K-12 schools feeling the squeeze.

Several smaller colleges are staring down mergers or total closures.

People are calling this era of education “The Big Shrink.”

We're discussing the topic on this hour of All Sides.

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