Superintendent Recommends Closing Ten Schools

Howard Hepburn cites low enrollment and proposes closing Forest Glen Middle School and Coral Springs Elementary School for the 2027-2028 year.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Secondary Education

Superintendent Recommends Closing Ten Schools

Live Poll

Should your local school district close schools with low enrollment?

Superintendent Howard Hepburn issued a memo on November 5 recommending the closure of ten schools in Broward County, including Forest Glen Middle School and Coral Springs Elementary School. The closures are planned for the 2027-2028 school year, and the School Board is expected to make a final decision.

Why it matters

The recommendation cites low enrollment on campuses and across the district as the reason for the proposed closures. For Coral Springs families, the decision would change where students attend school and what happens to the Forest Glen campus.

Forest Glen Middle School had about 730 students at the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, while its campus is designed for roughly 1,600 students. The School Board has not yet decided whether to approve the closure of ten schools.

The players

Howard Hepburn

Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools who issued the memo recommending the closure of ten schools.

Broward County Public Schools

The public school district serving Broward County, which oversees Forest Glen Middle School and the other schools proposed for closure.

Allen Zeman

Broward County School Board member who has advocated for closing 26 schools.

The details

Hepburn's recommendation followed staff review of boundary considerations, community input, and deliberation by the School Boundary Advisory Committee, and it would convert Forest Glen Middle School into Coral Springs Middle School. Forest Glen is rated an A school, and parents, students, and teachers have pleaded to keep it open at a September 14 meeting and a November 13 PTO rally.

September 14, 2026: Parents, students, and teachers pleaded to keep Forest Glen open at a meeting held at Coral Springs High School.
November 4, 2026: The School Board discussed the closure recommendation at a workshop.
November 5, 2026: Hepburn issued the memo recommending closure of ten schools.
November 13, 2026: Forest Glen PTO held a rally to save the school.
2027-2028 school year: The proposed closures would take effect.

Season Trajectory

The recommendation extends Broward County Public Schools' ongoing effort to consolidate underused campuses in response to falling enrollment. Board member Allen Zeman's call to close 26 schools shows the consolidation debate has been widening beyond the superintendent's ten-school proposal.

If the closures are approved, Forest Glen Middle School students would move to Coral Springs Middle School starting in the 2027-2028 school year. Families in the affected attendance zones would need to plan for new school assignments and transportation.

The takeaway

Families with students at affected campuses should track the School Board's final vote and any boundary changes that follow. Staying informed now will help you plan for school assignments before the 2027-2028 year begins.

What happens next

The School Board is expected to make a final decision on Hepburn's recommendation, with the proposed closures set to take effect in the 2027-2028 school year.