Six California Elementary Schools Face Closure Amid Declining Enrollment, Budget Woes

Six elementary schools within the Ventura Unified School District are on the brink of closure as the district grapples with declining enrollment, underutilized classrooms, and significant deferred maintenance costs. The district's School Closures Advisory Committee, established in January 2026, has put forth a recommendation to shutter Lemon Grove, Mound Elementary, Poinsettia Elementary, E.P. Foster Elementary, Sheridan Way Elementary, and Junipero Serra Elementary before the upcoming academic year.

Concerns regarding the proposed closures were voiced by parents and the community, with the committee receiving 33 public comments during an October 1 meeting. Tanya Toutz-Hager, a second-grade teacher at Lemon Grove Elementary, highlighted potential impacts on Title I services and increased challenges for low-income families during a June 8 meeting. Parent Darcy Duffy had previously raised issues in a March 19 meeting concerning closure timelines, enrollment data, facility capacity, and adjustments to special day class programs.

According to the committee’s draft report, Lemon Grove K-8 School requires an estimated $19.7 million for facility needs and has nearly half of its permanent capacity unutilized, with only 72 students in grades 6-8. Mound Elementary School, the district’s only choice-only school without neighborhood boundaries, faces a $17.5 million modernization estimate and traffic safety concerns. It currently serves 46 inter-district transfer students.

Poinsettia Elementary School has an estimated $15.6 million in facility and modernization project costs. E.P. Foster Elementary requires approximately $20.5 million in repairs and has a 47 percent utilization rate, while Sheridan Way Elementary needs $17.3 million and operates at 55 percent capacity. The committee noted that closing both E.P. Foster and Sheridan Way could create significant access issues in Westside Ventura, raising equity concerns, and recommended that if E.P. Foster closes, Sheridan Way should accept English-speaking students.

Junipero Serra Elementary School is projected to need $24.9 million for facility and modernization work. Its utilization rate is estimated at 48 percent with portable classrooms and 67 percent without. Neighboring schools like Citrus Glen, ATLAS, and Portola have sufficient capacity to absorb students if Junipero Serra were to close.

The district's enrollment has seen a nearly 20% decrease over the past decade, with approximately 14,400 students enrolled in the 2024-2025 academic year. Projections from SchoolWorks, Inc. presented in April 2026 indicate further enrollment drops across schools in the coming years.

Ventura Unified, which operates 28 schools with a $255.73 million budget, has faced financial challenges, including a $21 million deficit in 2020-2021. The district projected a $11.02 million shortfall for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Amid these financial pressures, Superintendent Antonio Castro received a total pay of $374,566 in 2025, according to Transparent California.