Chicago High School Has 12 Students Enrolled

Washington Park neighborhood school is slated to close at the end of the year, and most students have already transferred

Chicago's Walter H. Dyett High School, in the city's south side Washington Park neighborhood, had just 12 students enrolled Tuesday, the first day of classes for Chicago Public Schools.

Dyett High School is scheduled to close next year, and CPS administrators allowed students who wanted to graduate from the school to continue to attend classes there this year.

"At the end of last year, ending 2014, there were 37 juniors who would have enrolled as seniors," CPS spokesman Bill McCaffrey explained to NBC Chicago. "Before the start of this school year, 25 transferred to other schools."

More students could still choose to transfer to other schools but classes will continue through the entire school year, McCaffrey said.

The Chicago Teachers Union has asked the Board of Education to reconsider closing Dyett.

Ald. Will Burns (4th), in whose ward Dyett is located, said he's hopeful that with the right plan, the board might reverse its decision. He said the school has a lot going for it, including a swimming pool and a new gym.

Activists camped outside Burns' aldermanic office in June, arguing that the school's closure would put students in harm's way. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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