While Boston and most Gateway Cities largely saw public-school enrollment decreases in 2025, Lowell, Leominster and Fitchburg bucked the trend with slight increases, according to a new report.

Despite lingering fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, student and family uncertainly surrounding immigration protections, as well as fiscal challenges to Gateway Cities, Lowell Public Schools increased its student enrollment by 2%, or 302 students, in 2025.

Elsewhere in the region, Leominster Public Schools had a 2%, or 133-student increase, while Fitchburg Public Schools had a 1%, or 60-student increase.

Enrollment numbers, along with physical condition, general academic environment and capacity utilization of public-school buildings across the commonwealth, were captured in the Massachusetts School Building Authority 2025 School Survey Report released in January. Previous statewide assessment studies were conducted in 2006, 2010 and 2016.

“The information collected will provide a baseline understanding of the building condition, general environment, and space utilization of school facilities across the Commonwealth,” the report said. “The MSBA strives to work with local communities to create affordable, sustainable, and energy efficient schools across Massachusetts.”

The MSBA is a quasi-independent government authority created by the Legislature in 2004 to reform the process of funding and implementing capital improvement projects in the commonwealth’s public schools.

The authority evaluated all public elementary, middle and high schools in the state that may be eligible for a grant from the MSBA under Chapter 70B of the Massachusetts General Laws. The School Survey included site visits to 1,548 buildings across 1,446 campuses.

More than half of the Gateway Cities faced enrollment declines, but admissions for vocational and agricultural schools mostly saw significant increases.

The largest enrollment drops were in Westfield and Boston, which saw declines of 16% and 15%, respectively. The biggest gains in Gateway Cities were in Lynn, which saw an 8% increase, and Fall River and Haverhill, each at 7%.

Gateway Cities are defined as cities with populations greater than 35,000 but less than 250,000 and median household incomes and rates of college education below the state average. They are eligible for state grants and support for economic and community development. There are 26 cities currently eligible for the program, including, Lowell, Fitchburg and Leominster.

While vocational schools across the state largely saw dramatic enrollment increases — as much as 50% at Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in Danvers — those in the region were a bit of a mixed bag. Greater Lowell Technical High School in Tyngsboro saw student enrollment jump by 9% in 2025, while Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford increased by 5%. In contrast, both Fitchburg’s Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School and Billerica’s Shawsheen Valley Technical High School saw enrollment declines, of 1% and 5%, respectively.

Lowell Public Schools spokesperson Jennifer Myers said the continuing trend in increased enrollment in the district was “a testament to the dedication of our teachers and staff who provide welcoming and enriching learning environments every day.”

Myers also credited the cooperation between the school and city-side operations to maintain the buildings in a manner to provide an enriched learning environment for the pre-K through grade 12 student body.

“Over the time period in the survey, through MSBA funding and city cooperation, our buildings have improved significantly with new HVAC systems, windows, roofs, and other repairs and renovations,” Myers said.

Last October, the MSBA invited the city into its 2025 Accelerated Repair Program. This latest round of funding will support critical infrastructure upgrades at the Bartlett Community Partnership School; Rogers STEM Academy; Bailey, Greenhalge, McAvinnue and Shaughnessy elementary schools; and Butler and Daley middle schools.

It is the largest single-year ARP invitation in the city’s history.

The four-phased Lowell High School construction project was approved in 2016 and broke ground in 2020. The project is funded in part by the MSBA, which approved reimbursement for $280 million of the $418 million cost.

The authority uses the School Modernization and Reconstruction Trust Fund to fund school building projects, which in turn is funded by taking one penny from every sales transaction in the commonwealth. The Massachusetts sales tax is 6.25%.

Through its grant program, the MSBA has invited over 1,100 projects into its pipeline and made grant payments totaling $8.3 billion for school construction projects through fiscal 2025.

On the academic side, the district partnered with the community to develop a five-year strategic plan called “Lowell 2030: Transforming Learning, Empowering Learners,” which Superintendent of Schools Liam Skinner said represents “our shared vision for the future of our schools.”

Myers said that Lowell Public Schools has been focused on not only providing “the best curriculum,” but also the learning tools and technology for all its learners.

Additionally, the district provides after school and summer enrichment activities and opportunities that span a range of interests from sports to Lego club, and from cooking classes to gaming and more.

“Through our Community Schools program, our schools have become central hubs for LPS families to be connected with community resources like the Vision Van, Mobile Health Unit, Catie’s Closet, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, and more, filling those needs to break down barriers to learning,” she said.

Between the district’s positive enrollment numbers, the administration’s strategic plan and infrastructure improvements to its 29 buildings, Myers sees Lowell as a destination district for students.

“We expect to see more families choosing Lowell High School as the construction wraps up and the new facilities provide both a better learning environment than before and more opportunities, including a growing vocational program,” Myers said. “We are a district on the rise.”