Population Shift

The American Federation of Teachers Local 420 offered alternative ideas to shutting down buildings in St. Louis Public Schools during a summit on Wednesday, but did not discuss how new programs and schools would be funded.

The Reimagining SLPS community events are meant to inform families, teachers and community stakeholders about the district’s effort to consolidate its buildings due to declining enrollment and high cost repairs.

Preliminary results from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey offer both encouragement and caution for the region’s future.

SLU professor Ness Sándoval says that Detroit has been able to stem the tide of population loss by prioritizing families with kids — and that St. Louis would do well to follow its lead.

The district has over $200 million in reserves, but Superintendent Millicent Borishade said the increased expenditures are “unsustainable.”

A report recommends St. Louis Public Schools close 37 of its 68 buildings for the 2026-27 school year due to declining student enrollment and aging infrastructure.

The district will have to redraw boundaries to better distribute students across its remaining buildings before the 2026-27 school year.

The number of Black residents in the St. Louis region has slightly increased over the past year. New U.S. Census data shows there are about 2,900 more African Americans in the area. Despite that rise, St. Louis city’s Black population is declining.

The region bucks the norm in most other major metropolitan areas: people from India make up the largest share of foreign-born people in the St. Louis region over people from Mexico.

A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the population in rural areas is on the rise after a decade of decline.