General Articles <> Research Studies <> School District Data

Linked here are articles, studies and raw data that present a different perspective on School District mergers. This data shows that mergers often do not lead to lower taxes or increased student opportunities or achievements. In addition, this data is overwhelming in showing that school mergers damage communities.

General Articles

Articles, websites, and books in the popular press that address the pros and cons of school mergers. These sources present a perspective missing from the two school districts’ information on the proposed merger.

• Barnum, Matt. Schools are adding adults even as they lose students. Is that a problem? Chalkbeat, February 24, 2026. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/24/public-school-staffing-and-enrollment-declines-raise-financial-sustainability-questions/
• Bracey, Gerald W. “Small Schools, Great Strides.” Phi Delta Kappan 82.5 (2001): 413-414. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003172170108200514
• Tieken, Mara Casey. “Close A Rural School, Hurt A Rural Community, The Daily Yonder, 8/14/2017.  https://dailyyonder.com/close-rural-school-hurt-rural-community/2017/08/14
• Wenders, John T., “Consolidation is a Bad Idea”, Fordham Institute 4/9/2003.
  https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/consolidation-bad-idea

Research Studies

Educational research published in professional education journals or in book form. These studies all present results that question the wisdom of merging or consolidating schools.

• Andrews Institute for Research in Mathematics & Science Education, Alice Neeley Special Education Research & Service Institute, Center for Public Education & Community Engagement. May 2025. School District Rightsizing Brief. Education in Action. https://coe.tcu.edu/files/School-district-rightsizing-tcu-coe.pdf
• Antoniou, Faye, Alghamdi, Mohammed H., and Kawai, Kosuke. “The effect of school size and class size on school preparedness”.  Frontiers in Psychology, (7), 2/25/2024. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1354072/full
• Bank Street Occasional Papers Series, Number 3 (2000) Small Schools. https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series/vol2000/iss3/?_gl=1*1occsx3*_gcl_au*NzMzMDI4NTA3LjE3NzQxMDM1MjY.*_ga*NzkyMzQ2OTUwLjE3NzQxMDM1Mjc.*_ga_8BED3YJMC3*czE3NzQxMDM1MjckbzEkZzEkdDE3NzQxMDM5OTgkajYwJGwwJGg2NDIxMDg3NjU.
• Bard, J., Gardener, C., & Wieland, R. (2006). NREA Report: Rural School Consolidation: History, Research Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations. The Rural Educator, 27(2), 40-48. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v27i2.497
• Bloom, Howard s., and Unterman, Rebecca. “Can Small High Schools of Choice Improve Educational Prospects for Disadvantaged Students?”. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management Vol. 33, No. 2 (SPRING 2014), pp. 290-319.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/24033333
• Campbell, W. (1965). School Size Its Influence on Pupils. Journal of Educational Administration, 3(1), 3-17.
  https://www.emerald.com/jea/article-abstract/3/1/3/202111/School-Size-Its-Influence-on-Pupils?redirectedFrom=fulltext
• Connecticut School Finance Project, A Review of the Research on District and School Consolidation, February, 2019. https://files.schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Reports/Review%20of%20Research%20on%20District%20and%20School%20Consolidation.pdf
• DeYoung, Alan J., “The Status of American Rural Education Research: An Integrated Review and Commentary”, Review of Educational Research, 57(2), Spring 1987. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00346543057002123
• Eddins, M., Pehrson, M., & Burgess, K. (2024). Revisiting research on school closings: Key learnings for district and community leaders. Research for Action. https://www.researchforaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/revisiting-research-on-school-closings-key-learnings-for-district-and-community-leaders.pdf
• Francis, Leslie J. “Primary School Size and Pupil Attitudes: Small Is Happy?.” Educational Management & Administration 20.2 (1992): 100-104. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/174114329202000205
• Haynes, M. (2022). The impacts of school closure on rural communities in Canada: A review. The Rural Educator, 43(2), 60-74. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/ruraleducator/vol43/iss2/5/ 
• Hillman, Arnold. “How to Destroy Public Education and Rural Communities at the Same Time” National Rural Education Association, June 9, 2023. https://nrea.net/how-to-destroy-public-education-and-rural-communities-at-the-same-time/
• Kim, J. (2024, May). The long shadow of school closures: Impacts on students’ educational and labor market outcomes (EdWorkingPaper No. 24-963). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/ax4m-3z14
• Kohler, Elizabeth A., Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Julie P. Combs, Rebecca M. Bustamante, and Stacey L. Edmonson. “School Size and Incidents of Violence among Texas Middle Schools.” Journal of Educational Issues 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jei.v1i1.7656
• Lee, Matthew H., and Benjamin Scafidi. (2025). The Fiscal and Resource Effects of Enrollment Increases and Decreases on American Public School Districts. (EdWorkingPaper: 25-1266). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University:  https://doi.org/10.26300/33k4-es88
• Lee, V. E., & Loeb, S. (2000). School Size in Chicago Elementary Schools: Effects on Teachers’ Attitudes and Students’ Achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37(1), 3-31. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/00028312037001003
• Lyson, Thomas A. What Does a School Mean to a Community? Assessing the Social and Economic Benefits of Schools to Rural Villages in New York. Journal of Research in Rural Education, Winter, 2002, Vol. 17, No.3, 131-137
  https://jrre.psu.edu/sites/default/files/2019-08/17-3_1.pdf
• Morgan, David L. and Alwin, Duane F., “When Less Is More: School Size and Student Social Participation”, Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Jun., 1980), pp. 241-252. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3033627?origin=crossref
• Samuels, C. A. (2011). Study warns of limited savings from closing schools. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/study-warns-of-limited-savings-from-closing-schools/2011/11
• Smith, Sarah Ausmus, and Ron Zimmer. (2022). “The Impacts of School District Consolidation on Rural Communities: Evidence from Arkansas Reform.” (EdWorkingPaper: 22-530). February 2022. Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/ghex-rp75
• Steinberg, M. P., & MacDonald, J. M. (2019). The effects of closing urban schools on students’ academic and behavioral outcomes: Evidence from Philadelphia. Economics of Education Review, 69, 25–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.12.005
• Thomson, Diane. and Hertz, Steven G., “Exploring the Link Between Rural Schools, Community Vitality, and Wellbeing”, Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education, 2018, 13(1), pp. 37-57, ISSN 1718-4770. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/jcie/index.php/jcie!

School District Data

Actual data from school districts that have merged, demonstrating that school mergers generally do not lower school taxes or improve student outcomes; or data relevant to the information presented by the school districts.

• Canajoharie & Fort Plain School Districts, Merger Information Sheet, February, 2026. https://cfpmergertruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/canajoharie-fort-plain-merger-onesheet__q_a.pdf
• Cornell Program on Applied Demographics
  In cooperation with the New York State Center for Rural Schools. School District Enrollment Information. https://pad.human.cornell.edu/schools/enrollment.cfm
• Girardin, Ken, Missing Kids: NY Public School Enrollment Falls Again, The Empire Center for Public Policy, February, 2025. https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/missing-kids-ny-public-school-enrollment-falls-again/
• Leadership Solutions Providers, LLC., Canajoharie CSD & Fort Plain CSD: Feasibility Study for the Purpose of Centralization, Final Report – January 2025, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TVf_7JNWuuqAAa5cfTrYSE1HPalXG1Gg/view
• New York State Comptrollers Office. Archived Data for School Districts. School District Financial Data. https://www.osc.ny.gov/local-government/fiscal-monitoring/archived-data-and-publications
• New York State Education Department. School Report card Information. Data.NYSED.Gov.
• New York State Public High School Athletic Association, Public School Enrollment 2023-2024 All Students, 2024. https://cfpmergertruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025_2026_school_enrollment_number_final.pdf
• Rural Schools Association of New York. 2025 Legislative Priorities. 2025. https://rsany.org/RSA2025Legislative.pdf