Olathe school district recommends closing 6 schools at Thursday school board meeting

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.

—

The Olathe Board of Education heard recommendations the school district close one middle school and five elementary schools after the 2026-27 school year.

Olathe Public Schools' recommended closures include Indian Trail Middle School, which sits next to Olathe South High School, and Black Bob, Heritage, Scarbourough, Tomahawk and Walnut Grove elementary schools.

“Our district has been having a tough conversation about how we align our facilities with the number of students we serve for the past 18 months,” Deputy Superintendent Jim McMullen said in part in a press release. “We currently serve approximately the same number of elementary students as we did in 2001, but operate nine more elementary schools. That data must inform our decisions, but we also know how deeply personal this is for our students, staff and families because it is deeply personal for our district leaders too."

There were several factors the task force considered when deciding which schools to recommend. Among those were enrollment, building age and condition, transportation, maintenance costs and more.

There will be a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at Olathe South High School where parents can give feedback to the school board. There is no sign up required.

The school board is expected to vote on the recommendations in October. If approved, the schools would close for the 2027-28 school year.

The goal would be to have new attendance boundaries approved by January 2027, per a press release from the school district.

Olathe Public Schools, still the largest school district in the Kansas City area, is shrinking.

Eight elementary schools are now below 55% of capacity.

—