vacatED
A portrait of closed Chicago-area public schools, which are overwhelmingly located in African-American and Latino communities throughout the city and suburbs. A majority of these schools were shuttered in 2013 when 49 CPS elementary schools were shut down, which remains the largest mass school closing in United States history. The closings are the result of population loss, housing segregation, systemic racism, and a decrease in funding for public schools in favor of charter programs. Even though Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration assured the public that the closings would provide better environments for students, a 2018 report from the University of Chicago’s Consortium on School Research showed that the closings had short and long-term negative impacts on former students’ academics and standardized tests. Today, many of these schools have been repurposed by the City of Chicago or private development, while many others still sit empty, waiting their turn for a new life.
