NPR.

This is the indicator from Planet Money.

I'm Waylon Wong.

And I'm Adrienne Ma.

A few years ago, Taylor Iogo's family relocated from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia.

Taylor wanted to find a home near a good school for her daughter.

And Taylor took this research really seriously.

I'm one of those people. I comb the data. I look at school performance, particularly for black children.

Taylor found a public school she really liked, West Manor Elementary School in

Southwest Atlanta. Her daughter started going there in kindergarten, and it's been great.

West Manor is a place where the teachers and the staff, they know the kids by name, every single one.

They know the parents, the grandparents, the aunties and uncles that come to pick them up.

Whenever there's a holiday celebration, the auditorium is packed with families.

But Taylor heard a disturbing rumor at her daughter's kindergarten graduation in the spring.

West Manor might be closed as part of a broader effort by Atlanta public schools to address declining enrollment.

And it turns out it wasn't just a rumor.

The district is considering closing some schools.

And it's not just Taylor's school in Atlanta that's potentially on the chopping block.

Districts in states like Minnesota, Tennessee, and Texas are grappling with the future of their public schools.

So these conversations are happening all over the place right now.

Today on the show, we learn about how school closures are a sign of much larger forces at work

in the economy. And we see how parents like Taylor are fighting to keep their kids' schools open.

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