The entrance to Takena School, one of 14 elementary schools in the Albany school district.
If you’re at all interested in the future of Albany school buildings, you might want to catch up with the discussions of a huge advisory committee that has been kicking around ideas since last fall.
Starting in October, this group of about 40 members has been studying enrollment trends and facility needs in Greater Albany Public Schools. In a nutshell, the question is this: What should the district do in the face of having fewer students, rising costs for staffing and building repairs, and plenty of unused space in most of the schools?
Declining enrollment? Yes, the number of students in Albany schools has dropped by more than 1,000 since 2018. About 80 percent of that loss was in the 14 elementary schools. (Total district enrollment last fall: 8,486, down from 9,566 in 2017-18.)
Commenters on this site often question whether schools have room for children from planned new apartment blocks or subdivisions. The answer is: What children?
Most school buildings in the district have unused capacity now. And demographers consulting for the district are forecasting further enrollment declines in the years to come.
To catch up with what the district’s Long Range Facility Advisory Committee has been talking about, you can find video recordings of all the meetings here. The next meeting is May 5. The committee is scheduled to present recommendations to the school board in October.
At the most recent session on April 7, the committee members talked about the possibility of consolidating elementary schools and closing some, namely Central, Oak, Tangent and Waverly.
In a chart of several buildings where Waverly children might attend instead, I was surprised to see Millersburg listed. That elementary school was closed in 1983, but Millersburg city officials have often talked about trying to get a new school built in the fast-growing town.
I asked Superintendent Andy Gardner about that Millersburg idea. “It has kind of fallen away,” he said in an email. “One of the things I would stress is that we are at the conceptual stage.”
The conceptual stage will be over when this panel reports to the school board this fall. If you follow the deliberations of the committee, you won’t be surprised when the recommendations come out. (hh)
This table was shown to the committee in December 2025. It was prepared by FLO Analytics.
Thanks, Hasso, for facing the situation with the comment, “What children?” You can’t get truths in the heads of people who don’t stay current on journalism and only follow the lies and fairy tales on social media. However, thanks for being real and trying.
It seems odd that there was only 1 student enrolled in online school in 2024-25 and none in the current year. That’s as substantial percentage drop from the prior years. What happened to those tracking numbers?
It seems that the big push in past years for students to go to school online did not pan out. That’s good. Kids need to interact with other kids and other adults.
Online school is different than Oregon Connections Academy. Online school is through the local school district keeping students enrolled at that specific school. In an article by the Hillsboro Herald, there are ~1,500 students statewide enrolled in connections, I don’t know how that breaks down locally. Also, there is an enrollment cap for the Connections Academy but that doesn’t seem to be readily available that I’ve found. However, I would agree that, from what I’ve read, virtual classroom and learning trail behind in person instruction.
Happy my daughter is grown and I live in the country. I wish you well, parents.
Glad to see my old elementary school, Liberty, is hanging in there. I also lived in the Takena district in 1st grade but went to Maple before it was closed and Takena was built. Memorial is looking good and so is WAHS, though 9th grade was added to high school after I graduated. All cities are struggling with shifting populations. The Phoenix AZ area has all the same issues as older areas age.
Hasso
Curious to know number of GAPS
staff including teachers/non teaching and administration in 2018 and staff numbers now. With 1,000 fewer students it would seem there would be considerably less staff? Can you find out numbers.
I brought that up in Hasso’s previous post on this and was attacked for questioning their sacred cow. Expect the same. BTW- note many of the half wit responses from those opposed to closing anything.
https://hh-today.com/panel-considers-potential-school-closures/
Hopefully Hasso will be able to find out these numbers. It seems with more than 10% less students since 2018 there would be a similar percentage less staff in all categories. If so there would need to be less space needed in buildings not just classrooms. It’s an important part of decisions
I have extended family affected by these possible closures. This issue shouldn’t be talked about in such an uncaring manner. The administrative staff should be reduced by at least 50 percent or more before any school closures. Declining enrollment is an issue, but it doesn’t erase the needs of the families and communities still relying on these schools. No one should minimize the impact these decisions would have on actual children. Any discussion of consolidation should take that impact seriously. I couldn’t stand to listen to that terrible GAPS meeting where they were all talking about these issues in such a indifferent, neutral manner. And even applause after some of them spoke!
The committee was doing exactly what they were told to do which was to only consider costs and ignore impacts. Interestingly, if Oak and Tangent are both closed, it leaves the south end of the district with a distinct lack of elementary schools. As Waverly might be untouchable because of a potential lawsuit, the alternative school to close might be Lafayette which would further tilt the district away from schools in the south end.
To quote “Alice in Wonderland”, “Sentence first, then the verdict”
There has been an increase in private school enrollment. It would be interesting to learn the extent of the increase and the reasons why.
The task this committee is charged with is like overseeing a train wreck. How many households in the Albany community are choosing not to send their kids to public schools? Too many to justify giving the district more money to build a new school or anything resembling that.
Closing schools will happen….Just look to corvallis…..But we still need another school bond measure & gas tax…..vote nooooo…