Pinellas County Schools will bring its school-closure planning process to Dunedin High School Wednesday, July 15, at 6 p.m., giving area families a chance to weigh in before the district decides which campuses to close or consolidate for the 2027-28 school year.

The "Planning for Progress" session is one of three simultaneous meetings that night; the others are at Pinellas Park High School and St. Petersburg High School. The district has not said whether families must attend the meeting in their geographic zone or may attend any session.

What the district will present

Staff will share data specific to the geographic area around each host school, covering population trends, future enrollment projections, building utilization, facility planning and potential consolidations, according to the district's Planning for Progress page at pcsb.org/progress.

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick has said the district evaluates each campus based on building condition, the investment needed to improve it and capital needs over several years.

What happens next

School board members will review community feedback during workshops in August and September. School-specific town halls will follow before any vote. Changes would not take effect until the 2027-28 school year.

The numbers driving the process

As of July, the district reports about 45,000 empty seats across its campuses, according to WFLA reporting citing Hendrick. That figure is up from 35,000 empty seats reported in January, when about a third of campuses sat below 60% capacity.

Only about 68% of the roughly 7,600 babies born in Pinellas County each year go on to attend public schools, according to district data.

Hendrick has cited three drivers: the rising cost of living, families relocating after hurricanes and a growing number choosing homeschool. He called the enrollment decline "a decades-long problem that our community, not just Pinellas County Schools, but our community, is all looking at."

First round already hit

In January, the district proposed closing Disston Academy and Cross Bayou Elementary and consolidating several schools into K-8 campuses. That first round eliminated 1,781 student seats and was projected to save roughly $7.7 million in recurring personnel costs and about $7 million in planned capital expenses, according to Tampa Bay Times reporting.

Hendrick warned at the time that it was "not the last step in the process."

Parent concerns surface at earlier meetings

The first batch of Planning for Progress meetings took place July 9 at Tarpon Springs High, Largo High and Boca Ciega High. At the Boca Ciega session, parent Ben Wyatt told district leaders he worries about the toll on children forced to change schools.

"Kids have a lot of partnerships, relationships built in that school," Wyatt said. "So if they have to go to another school, there's anxiety … new teachers, new environment."

Meeting details: Wednesday, July 15, 6 p.m., Dunedin High School. More information is available at pcsb.org/progress