About the Series
In January 2022, we released Chicago's Enrollment Crisis Part 1: Examining Root Causes, which looked at Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) enrollment decline over the past two decades. In January 2024, we followed up with Part 2: Adopting Parent-led Solutions, which identified the top barriers and potential solutions to make Chicago more family-friendly.
In this new installment, we explore the forces shaping CPS enrollment and what they mean for students, families, and schools.
January 2026
Latest on CPS Enrollment
Every fall, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) takes stock of who it serves. This year’s count showed a notable change: 316,224 students were enrolled on the 20th day of school — more than 9,000 fewer than last year. After two years of modest gains, CPS enrollment is once again on the decline.
Over the past decade, CPS’s enrollment has fallen by nearly 80,000 students, a trend that has transformed the daily life of hundreds of school communities across the city. Even with a new equity-based budgeting model, smaller enrollment still means fewer staff and less funding. At Kids First Chicago, parents tell us they’re seeing the impact firsthand: limited access to electives and advanced coursework, and in some cases, schools too small to field sports teams or offer a full set of extracurricular activities. As offerings shrink, so do the experiences that build belonging and keep students engaged.
With enrollment continuing to fall, district leaders face difficult decisions about how to ensure that every student, in every neighborhood, has access to a high-quality and well-rounded education.
Summary of Findings
Fewer Births, Fewer Students
With fewer children being born in Chicago, and recent new-arrival growth leveling off, CPS is increasingly shaped by demographic forces outside the district’s control.
Early Grade Enrollment Trends and Their Implications
The early grades provide the clearest signal of CPS’s long-term enrollment trajectory: fewer children are entering kindergarten each year, producing smaller cohorts that move through the system and reshape the district from the bottom up.
Enrollment decline is occurring alongside important changes in CPS’s student population. Understanding changes in demographics and learner needs is essential to ensuring schools remain equipped to support the students they serve.
As CPS’s overall enrollment continues to fall, the impact is not felt evenly across student groups. The steepest declines this year were among Black and Latine students. Latine student enrollment fell by 4.7%, from 153,820 to 146,862 — a loss of nearly 7,000 students — while Black student enrollment declined by 2.6%, or about 2,900 students. In contrast, White, Asian, and multiracial student enrollment saw small increases.
After two years of steady growth, the number of English Learners (ELs) in CPS declined this year for the first time in nearly a decade. Between 2023 and 2025, EL enrollment reached a ten-year high of 88,807 students, but in 2025–26 it fell by 2.9% to 86,172. Even with this dip, ELs now account for over 27% of all CPS students — up from about 19% just five years ago — reflecting the lasting impact of demographic change and past influxes of new arrivals. These additional EL students have also triggered higher priority for state funding under Illinois’ evidence-based formula, elevating CPS to Tier 1 status and unlocking extra dollars for the district.
By contrast, special education enrollment has continued to climb. Over the past three years, the number of students receiving special education services has grown by roughly 8%, including a 2.5% increase this year, bringing the total to 54,846 students. In 2025–26, more than one in six CPS students (17%) receives special education services, compared to one in seven (14%) five years ago.
Looking Ahead
As Chicago’s student population continues to change — in size, composition, and need — it is essential to monitor these trends and understand what they mean for students. Each shift in who attends CPS affects classroom resources, school programming, and the supports available to families. Tracking these changes over time will help city and district leaders make informed decisions to ensure that every student, in every neighborhood, has access to a high-quality, well-rounded education.
Ultimately, these trends should compel everyone who cares about Chicago’s students — from educators and policymakers to families and funders — to better understand the demographic forces driving smaller schools and what those shifts mean for the students learning inside them.
Questions?
Please contact Mariam Raheem, Hal Woods, or Micaelan Valesky at Kids First Chicago to explore our analysis further.