As of 2020, there were 690,000 families with children making their home in Massachusetts. Families with children tend to be larger than the average household. These households include about 1.02 million “school-aged” children (5-17). This is slightly larger than the total enrollment of 905,000 students in public or charter public schools in Massachusetts in the 2019 – 2020 school year.
Both the share and the number of families with children has been declining, and along with it the number of school children statewide. Since 2000, the number of children aged 5 -18 fell by 50,000, a decline of nearly 5%. This is driven by changing population size (there simply weren’t as many potential Gen X parents) as well as declining fertility rates, resulting in fewer and smaller families. In the 2004 – 2005 school year, there were 956,000 students in public schools in Massachusetts (including charter schools). This number has dropped to 887,000 students in the 2023 – 2024 school year, a 6.3% decrease.
In the 1990s, school enrollment was growing across Massachusetts due to the large number of children born to Boomer-headed families. Widespread subdivision development during this period accommodated many of these new families, and the resultant enrollment increases were attributed to the housing. Many growth policies and mindsets solidified during this period, often equating all growth with increased school enrollment and unrecovered municipal costs. These days, the number of families with children is declining and most are moving into existing homes rather than new construction. School enrollment changes are occurring for many reasons other than housing development. This requires a shift in conventional wisdom about the impacts and benefits of housing on school budgets and municipal finance.
Although families with children are a protected class under state and federal fair housing laws, they are often excluded from affordable housing due to restrictive zoning that often only allow overlays or approvals for age-restricted housing. Families with children and multigenerational families frequently have difficulty finding subsidized housing with more than two bedrooms, as most programs like Chapter 40B only offer 1 and 2 bedroom units. Additionally, families with children under 6 have the added disadvantage of locating and securing lead-free housing.