Olathe families will learn which elementary and middle schools are slated to close when the district presents specific building recommendations at a Board of Education meeting on Sept. 3.
The announcement caps an 18-month process driven by two forces: enrollment that has dropped roughly 1,550 students since 2021-22, and a state special-education funding gap that forced Olathe and three neighboring districts to pull more than $119 million from general education budgets in the 2024-25 school year.
A facility alignment task force recommended in June that the district close more than three elementary schools and one middle school. The Sept. 3 meeting will put names to those numbers for the first time.
No schools have been named yet.
The district said Aug. 24 that the enrollment decline and inadequate state special-education funding have forced it to reduce the number of schools through closures to better align with current enrollment, according to KCTV5.
Enrollment decline
Olathe Public Schools, led by Superintendent Dr. Brent Yeager, enrolled 28,245 students in 2024-25, down from 29,794 in 2021-22, according to district annual reports. The district is the second-largest in Kansas, operating 36 elementary schools, 10 middle schools and five high schools across Olathe, Overland Park and Lenexa.
The district has attributed the decline to lower birth rates and rising home prices in Johnson County that have slowed family migration into the area, a point it made in a February statement on social media.
Special-education funding adds pressure
The closures come as Olathe and three other Johnson County districts prepare for a potential lawsuit against the state over special-education funding. In August, the Kansas Public School Funding Coalition, which includes Olathe, Blue Valley, De Soto and Shawnee Mission districts, hired law firm Lathrop GPM to evaluate legal action.
Kansas law requires the state to reimburse districts for 92% of special-education excess costs, but the coalition says the state has missed that mark every year since 2011. During the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers approved only a $6 million increase toward a $225 million shortfall.
The coalition said in its Aug. 12 announcement that "the financial burden placed on local schools continues to grow" and that it would "pursue every available option to ensure the state meets its obligation."
What families should know
The Sept. 3 Board of Education meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the district's YouTube channel. The closure recommendations are based on feedback from the task force and a steering committee.
District officials said staff at affected buildings will be placed elsewhere in the district.
Voters approved a separate $389 million bond in 2026 that includes consolidating four schools into two buildings. The relationship between those bond-funded consolidations and the additional closures to be announced Sept. 3 has not been clarified by the district.
Families can find the district's school alignment information at olatheschools.org/students-and-families/boundaries-and-school-consolidations. The board meeting begins at 7 p.m. Sept. 3.
