WS/FCS to close 11 Pre-K classrooms due to low enrollment

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is closing 11 Pre-K classrooms next year, largely due to low enrollment. 

Officials say the classrooms being closed have been under capacity for the last few years. 

They include those at Easton, Forest Park and Cook Literacy Model School, to name a few. But it’s not like children aren’t in need of slots. 

Chief Academic Officer Paula Wilkins says the district actually has a wait list for Pre-K. But families are choosing to stay on that list rather than enroll at certain schools. 

“It is the perception of less quality," Wilkins said at a school board workshop on June 17. "And it's very unfortunate, because I will say the classrooms at Cook were some of the most amazing I have ever seen."

She says there will still be spaces available for students in the district’s remaining Pre-K classrooms. Closing the underutilized sites is estimated to save about $400,000.