CPS enrollment falls as CTU membership grows

Chicago Public Schools has lost nearly one-fifth of its student population over the past decade, even as the Chicago Teachers Union has expanded its membership and political influence.

District enrollment figures show CPS dropped from 396,683 students in fall 2014 to 316,224 students in fall 2025 — a decline of roughly 80,000 students. During a similar period, CTU membership and fee-paying rolls reportedly increased from about 26,116 members in fiscal year 2019 to “nearly 30,000” today, according to union descriptions.

The changing balance has resulted in fewer students per union member across the district while simultaneously increasing the union’s organizing reach ahead of Chicago’s first fully elected school board race in November 2026.

Enrollment losses accelerated during several periods over the last decade. CPS lost roughly 10,000 students annually between 2016 and 2018 before the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an even steeper decline between 2019 and 2020 as in-person instruction shut down.

District enrollment briefly stabilized in 2023 and 2024 amid an influx of migrant students, marking the first two-year stretch of enrollment growth since 2011. However, the decline resumed in 2025, when CPS lost approximately 9,000 additional students, with the largest decreases reported among Hispanic and Black students.

The shrinking enrollment has also left many school buildings significantly underutilized.

According to an Illinois Policy Institute analysis of CPS data, the average single-campus CPS school operated at only 65 percent of ideal capacity during the 2024-25 school year. Some high schools built to accommodate 900 students reportedly enrolled fewer than 30. District planning data cited approximately 148,000 unused K-12 seats systemwide.

Historical district figures also illustrate the trend. CPS operated 666 schools with 407,955 students in 2009, compared to 652 schools and 355,156 students in 2020. In 2022, CPS fell from the nation’s third-largest school district to fourth place.

Despite enrollment declines, staffing levels have continued to rise.

In an October 2024 statement, former CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said the district hired more than 2,600 teachers and over 4,000 paraprofessionals and support staff between 2019 and 2024, adding nearly 7,000 school-based positions overall.

Many of those employees became eligible for CTU membership, helping offset losses connected to the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, which allowed public-sector workers to opt out of union dues.

Illinois Policy Institute data cited the largest membership decline immediately following the Janus ruling between 2018 and 2019. Another drop reportedly occurred in 2023 after controversy surrounding CTU’s financial support for Brandon Johnson’s mayoral campaign.

However, union membership later rebounded through additional hiring. CTU now describes itself as representing “nearly 30,000 teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians.”

The changing ratio between students and union members has increased CTU’s political influence, according to critics. Estimates cited in the report suggest each CTU member now corresponds to fewer than 11 students on average, compared to about 14 students several years earlier.

Analysts argue that smaller schools, higher staffing levels, and more union-eligible employees per building strengthen the union’s ability to organize for political campaigns, labor negotiations, and potential strikes.

Financially, CTU’s political resources have also expanded. WBEZ reported that union dues revenue increased from roughly $28 million in 2019 to approximately $35 million in 2024. Full-time members reportedly pay more than $1,400 annually in dues.

Illinois Policy Institute data cited in the report stated that CTU has spent more than $24.3 million on political activity since 2010, including a record $4.2 million during fiscal year 2025.

Much of that spending is expected to focus on the November 2026 elections, where CTU plans to endorse candidates for all 21 seats on the elected Chicago Board of Education.

Meanwhile, CPS faces mounting financial pressure. District budget materials project a $734 million structural deficit for fiscal year 2026, while pension obligations tied to the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund are expected to continue for decades. The pension system was reported to be 47.9 percent funded as of June 30, 2025.