Attendance Plummets At 19 Public Schools Saved From Closure
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While 19 city schools saved from closure will reopen in September, they may not have many students in their desks.
A lawsuit stopped the Department of Education from shutting the under-performing schools. Now, new numbers show students signed up to attend each of those schools has dropped drastically.
DOE officials said they expect the numbers to increase, but the schools may still have to cut teachers, courses and activities.
Six of the schools have fewer than 25 new students signed up -- less than the average size of one class.
Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn had 503 ninth-grade students in 2007-2008, but only 22 for the upcoming school year.
At New Day Academy in Bronx, just 10 new students have enrolled.
The other four school with less than 25 incoming students are Choir High School of Harlem in Manhattan, Metropolitan Corporate Academy in Brooklyn, School for Community Research and Learning in the Bronx and Business, Computer Applications and Entrepreneurship High School in Queens.
Many of the schools have seen enrollment decline in recent years, but nothing close to this year's drop.
Some teachers blame the DOE for encouraging students to avoid the schools, and they worry such low enrollments will make it almost impossible for them to operate.