Vallejo closes three more schools as enrollment drops below 10,000
District officials say budget cuts are necessary to adjust resources for a shrinking student body.
By Daniela Ortega ·
Vallejo City Unified School District closed three of its ten elementary schools in early 2026, marking the second round of closures under new leadership. The district, located near San Francisco, is responding to a sharp decline in enrollment and a persistent financial deficit.
Enrollment in the district has fallen from nearly 18,000 students in the fall of 2006 to approximately 9,300. This drop places the current student count below the 10,000 mark for the first time. District data shows that schools are operating at an average of only 46% capacity.
Rubén Aurelio, the district superintendent who took office in 2024, stated that the closures are a necessary adjustment to a reality that no longer matches the district's size. He explained that resources must be concentrated to improve outcomes for the remaining students. Aurelio noted that the district was previously under state oversight following a financial crisis in the early 2000s, which involved a $60 million emergency rescue.
The district faced a $36 million deficit, exacerbated by the depletion of one-time COVID-19 relief funds used to cover staff salaries. Inflation and contract-mandated salary increases further pressured the budget. Aurelio announced the first round of closures in early 2025, which included two schools serving kindergarten through eighth grade.
A school board committee is currently deciding the fate of the vacated buildings. Marin Trujillo Cuevas, the district's chief operating officer, said the empty sites are vulnerable to theft, requiring additional security resources. The district also moved a district-sponsored charter school into one of the empty buildings to utilize the space.
Local families are reacting to the changes with mixed strategies. Some parents, including Kimberly Núñez-Brandão, are moving their children to charter schools or considering private options. Núñez-Brandão cited large class sizes, noting that her son's new third-grade teacher at Glen Cove has 32 students. Other families, like the Jacksons, chose a district-sponsored charter school over a neighborhood school due to concerns about class size and security.
To retain remaining families, the district is renewing older facilities and plans to open a Tagalog-language school for Filipino families in the Bay Area. The district has also denied some transfer requests to other districts and is offering tours of open schools to showcase academic programs.
