Parents Rally to Keep Forest Glen Middle Open
Students, teachers and parents demonstrated on Wiles Road as the Broward County School Board prepares to vote on closing the Coral Springs school.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Secondary Education
Live Poll
Should under-enrolled neighborhood schools like Forest Glen be closed?
Students, teachers and parents demonstrated on Wiles Road on November 13 to keep Forest Glen Middle School open. The Broward County School Board will vote on December 15 on Superintendent Howard Hepburn's recommendation to close Forest Glen and other under-enrolled schools.
Why it matters
The Superintendent recommended closing the school as part of a push to address under-enrolled campuses across the district. For Coral Springs families, the decision would affect where roughly 742 current students attend middle school.
Forest Glen Middle School is at about 64 percent capacity with 742 students in the building. About 700 students who could attend the school are educated at home, in charter or private schools, or at other public schools.
The players
Howard Hepburn
Howard Hepburn is the superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, the district that oversees Forest Glen Middle School and more than two hundred schools across the county.
Broward County School Board
The Broward County School Board is the elected governing body of Broward County Public Schools, the sixth-largest school district in the United States.
The details
Parents and teachers have attended school board and community meetings to advocate for the school, which is rated an "A" and has an award-winning chorus and band program. They have also proposed creating an artistic magnet school at Forest Glen as an alternative to closure.
Timeline
November 13, 2026: Students, teachers and parents demonstrate on Wiles Road near the back of the school.
December 15, 2026: Broward County School Board votes on closing Forest Glen Middle School.
Season Trajectory
Closure decisions based on building utilization have become a recurring tool for large Florida districts facing enrollment declines. The Forest Glen case tests whether academic performance and specialized programs can outweigh capacity math in those decisions.
Families with students at Forest Glen would need to plan for a possible school change if the board approves the closure. Parents and students weighing options should watch the December 15 vote for details on reassignment.
The takeaway
Parents who want to influence the outcome can attend school board meetings before the December 15 vote, where public comment has shaped the debate so far.
What happens next
The Broward County School Board will vote on December 15, 2026, on Superintendent Howard Hepburn's recommendation to close Forest Glen Middle School and other under-enrolled schools.
Further reading
Explore more secondary education coverage for context on how districts handle school enrollment decisions.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Coral Springs Talk.
Live Poll
Should under-enrolled neighborhood schools like Forest Glen be closed?
