Enrollment Decline Leads to School Closure in Southeastern Idaho

(POCATELLO, Idaho ) — Students from the century-old Washington Elementary School started the school year in an unfamiliar building after a shift in enrollment forced the Pocatello school to close.

In January, the Pocatello School Board voted 3-2 to close Washington Elementary due to an enrollment drop. The district also cut 14 staff positions through attrition to help balance the budget.

“I represent four generations of proud Washington Elementary learners,” Lee Ann Dutton told the  Idaho State Journal. “My children and grandchildren have loved attending this grand school in this grand neighborhood of Pocatello. Its future matters deeply to our family on a sentimental level.” 

The closure was necessary due to declining enrollment, according to Pocatello Superintendent Douglas Howell who told the Idaho State Journal that 931 students have left the district since the 2019-2020 school year. This represents a 7.6% decline in enrollment, which reduced the annual budget by $6 million.

The Pocatello School Board voted 3-2 to close Washington Elementary School. [Credit: Nida Mannan]

Demographic shifts include a lower population growth. Census Bureau estimates show Pocatello’s population rose just 1.6 percent between 2020 and 2024, while Twin Falls and Idaho Falls both increased by 7.1 percent. As Eric Grossarth writes in Idaho Falls Magazine, “Business is Booming in Idaho Falls, Diverse industries, including technology, agriculture and energy, continue to propel this economic expansion, even amid today’s challenges.”  Grossarth continues to add that in 2025, Idaho Falls claimed third place, with a “thriving labor market fueled by the healthcare and education sectors and the Idaho National Laboratory.” 

“That school is not even handicapped accessible. Colter Hansen, a parent, expressed his concern in the Idaho State Journal Facebook page.  Washington Elementary school was built in 1925 making it 100 years old.  To sustain the building, it would mean investing a large amount of funds to renovate and keep the building in accordance with state safety standards. 

 Washington Elementary Advocates, a grassroots organization formed to save the school, is working with other nonprofit organizations to preserve the historic building hoping it will become a charter school.