A state law prohibits Chicago from closing or consolidating schools until 2025. And across the U.S., COVID-19 relief money is helping subsidize shrinking schools. But when the money runs out in a few years, officials will face a difficult choice: Keep the schools open despite the financial strain, or close them, upsetting communities looking for stability for their children.

Since opening its first Englewood campus in 2017, Purdue Polytechnic has grown from just 140 freshmen to over 600 students on that campus alone, Executive Director Scott Bess said. The north campus at Broad Ripple High School, meanwhile, struck a deal with IPS to use the building this year — more room for the school to grow.

On Monday morning, students and families packed into Nevada Virtual Academy’s newest location in Silverado Ranch, getting a glimpse of an organization that’s dedicated to nontraditional ways of schooling.

While media often seemed to report on negative aspects of online schooling, this was not a universal experience.

City officials, including Mayor Toby Barker, firefighters and HPD officers, greeted students and teachers Monday morning, something Hattiesburg Public Schools officials say makes a huge impact.