St. Joseph

After two months, nearly a dozen meetings, and multiple reversals, the St Joseph School District Board of Education says it has committed on a vote to close Lafayette High School and convert the building to a middle school beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The vote will occur at their board meeting on Nov. 24, which has been the board’s self-imposed deadline to decide on a school consolidation plan as it faces a funding crisis.

Benton High School in St. Joseph could permanently close as early as the 2026–2027 school year under a plan favored by the St. Joseph School District Board of Education.

Last month, the St. Joseph School District Board of Education unanimously adopted a grassroots plan to preserve all three of the city’s high schools, despite facing enrollment declines and a budget crisis. That plan is no longer.

A community-driven effort to preserve three high schools and seek cost-savings elsewhere is the latest plan to bring the embattled school system back to health.

As many as 4,000 students and nearly 500 staff members in the St. Joseph School District are unsure where they will attend or teach in the 2026-2027 school year.