St. Louis Public Schools will close nine schools in 2027.
The school board voted 4-to-3 Tuesday night to close Ames, Ashland, Carver, Hamilton, Hickey, Meramec, Monroe, and Walbridge elementary schools and L'Ouvertrue Middle School, cutting the district from 61 schools to 52.
During public comment, parents asked the board to postpone the vote.
"We should not be closing neighborhood schools during tornado recovery because this would create even more hardships," one woman said.
The closures passed with board members A.J. Foster, Donna Jones, and Tracy Hykes voting no.
The district's Future Ready plan also turns 12 magnet schools, including Gateway STEM and Soldan high schools, into neighborhood schools.
McKinley Classical Leadership Academy is staying open. Board member Emily Hubbard, whose own family is at McKinley, says the enrollment test is unfair to schools that aren't getting a similar option.
"We love McKinley. I do not think this is a good plan. It's not sustainable."
You can see the meeting here
