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Good morning, Mike here with Chalkbeat New York.

Today, we have the third and final installment in our series about the challenges and opportunities of New York City’s shrinking schools.

The first story focused in on the problem by tracing the two decade decline of Murry Bergtraum, the city’s smallest traditional high school with just 90 students. The second story examined some creative solutions the city could pursue right now by helping small high schools on shared campuses better pool their resources. And the latest story takes a look at what it would take politically to merge and close schools at scale - and why some education experts hope Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Kamar Samuels will turn the small schools crisis into an opportunity.

We’d love to hear from you about your response to the stories, especially if you’re affiliated with a small school. How do you think the city should respond to declining enrollment? Email us at ny[email protected].

Local education coverage is disappearing. Chalkbeat helps families and educators understand what’s changing. We can’t do it without you.

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Local News

NYC’s enrollment free fall leaves Mamdani and Samuels with a small schools crisis. What will they do?

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels tour a Brooklyn school where Samuels oversaw a merger. As New York City faces a growing number of underenrolled schools, some education leaders say mergers and closures should be a critical piece of Mamdani's schools agenda.Alex Zimmerman,Alex Zimmerman