Baltimore City School Board Seeks to Close Four Area Schools; Hearing Set for January 8, 2026

On December 11, 2025, a hearing was held at the headquarters of the Board of Commissioners, Baltimore City School Board to listen to initial testimony on behalf of four Baltimore City area schools:

The Baltimore City School Board is considering reducing or eliminating funding for these four schools which are credited for having provided much needed education and coming-of-age guidance to help young boys in areas of need to grow into the constructive and promising men they were always meant to become.

Criticisms often aimed at these schools that student test scores are low are countered by the assertion that these schools by and large take in students who are already behind academically, some being unable to read and write when they come to the schools, and they must catch up to be able to compete with mainstream and private schools which may be better funded.  Even operating at such a deficit, institutions such as the Baltimore Collegiate School, for example, have cited a 90-plus percent graduation rate, a testament to these schools’ critical role in helping Baltimore area students, especially young boys, to overcome adversity.

The December 11 hearing drew an overflow crowd of community activists, concerned families and educators who had gathered at the school headquarters to voice their support for the four schools.  After delaying their appearance for the hearing by close to an hour, an act that had many of those in attendance growing increasingly impatient with what they saw as a bureaucratic stall tactic designed to discourage many of the attendees, led to numerous call-and response chants (“It’s 5:52. Where are you?” and “It’s 5:58.  Why are you late?” are two examples) and comments that students who report late to class are sent to detention, the board members finally appeared and informed the gathered crowd that the hearing would not begin because there were not enough chairs for everyone.  Most of those who had come to voice their support for the schools were sent to “overflow rooms” where they would wait until the specific school foe which they were advocating was scheduled to make its presentation.  This not only inconvenienced the public, but it also had the effect of dividing them so that advocates for one school could not see and hear the proceedings as they impacted the other schools.  By “cutting” the gathering into four parts, the board members spared themselves the impact of facing such an intimidating crowd of supporters all at once and were also able to paint these four cases as “isolated incidents” and blunting the perceived impact that these closure decisions would have on the greater community.

A final decision was not made at this December hearing.  Another hearing will be held on January 8, followed by a final vote around January 14, at which time the resolve of the community and the flexibility of the school board will once again be tested.

Supporters are urged to write letters to the Baltimore City School board and Board of Commissioners, support the petitions that have been launched at support Web sites for the schools, to make donations to these institutions as they face possible defunding by the Baltimore City School Board, and to make plans to attend the follow-up hearing at the Baltimore City Schools headquarters on January 8.