Following the Oct. 9 school board decision to close Prestwood Elementary, Sonoma Valley High School students described the closure as “strange,” “uncomfortable,” and “disappointing.”
This decision followed the consolidation of Adele Harrison Middle School and its students into Altimira Middle School, which took effect in August of this year, and the closure of Dunbar Elementary after the 2022-23 school year.
According to the Index-Tribune, the Sonoma Valley Unified School District has seen a 40 percent decline in enrollment from 2012 to 2025, contributing to several years of budget deficits. Closing schools is part of an effort to balance the district budget, which is required by state law.
One reason why students are disappointed by these closures is because of SVHS’s longstanding graduation tradition: each year, seniors don their caps and gowns to parade through their middle and elementary schools, reconnecting with teachers and inspiring younger students.
“Students look forward to revisiting their elementary and middle school when they graduate, and a large portion of students like myself won’t have any schools to visit,” said Josie Brown, a junior.
“I think some of us are mad, upset, and angry, you know?” said Kimberlee Torres, also a junior at SVHS. “We are losing a part of us and our childhood that some of us truly don’t want to lose any more of.”
To many students, the school closure decisions are more than just a policy vote by the school board. “Many students felt an emotional connection to their elementary school or their middle school, and seeing it taken away is really disappointing,” said Brown.
Additionally, students cited logistical concerns such as school location, investment into now-closed schools, and the capacity of remaining schools to handle the influx of students from Adele and Prestwood.
“Prestwood being on the chopping block made me super upset. Not only has it been around for years, but it recently got that brand-new gym and cafeteria. Why invest money in schools like Prestwood if they aren’t going to be around for years to come?” questioned junior Lilah Scharich. “Keep the school.”
In addition to concerns about investments being made into now-closed schools, students also cite the location of schools in the district as an issue.
Brown added that though she believes the district’s decision is “partly understandable,” She also believes that it “puts a strain on many families who live near where the schools used to be.”
With almost all of the elementary schools and one middle school concentrated in one part of Sonoma, students who reside near the high school may find transportation to and from school difficult, as elementary and middle school students rely largely on parents to take them to and from school each day.
Others have similar concerns. “Kids are losing places to learn,” Torres brought up. “[All of the students] being in one school [creates] more problems [and] more conflicts.” SVHS students worry that elementary and middle school students may have less access to resources in schools that are suddenly overwhelmed by the consolidation.
“Things go around fast in a small town like ours, so it’s easy to know what’s happening,” described Torres. The topic is well-known and often discussed by students. When speaking with peers about the school closures, Scharich mentioned that “Most of the conversations [are] negative.
