Colorado’s Empty Classrooms Are a Warning for America

The empty desks appearing across Colorado today are the delayed consequence of decisions made years ago by politicians, educators, and cultural elites.

Brian C. Joondeph | June 8, 2026

Colorado colleges are bracing for what education experts call an “enrollment cliff.” Fewer high school graduates mean fewer college applicants, shrinking tuition revenue, budget cuts, mergers, and even campus closures. 

The same phenomenon is unfolding nationwide. After years of warnings, the demographic reckoning has arrived.  

According to recent Colorado education data, public school enrollment fell by more than 10,000 students this year, the state’s largest decline since the pandemic. 

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State officials point to a simple explanation: there are fewer children. Birth rates have been declining for years, and those missing children are now becoming missing students.  

Many analysts trace the problem to the 2008 financial crisis. As economic uncertainty grew, Americans postponed marriage, delayed having children, or chose to have fewer children altogether. Eighteen years later, right on schedule, colleges are seeing the predictable consequences.  

That explanation is correct, but incomplete.

The enrollment cliff itself was largely set in motion nearly two decades ago.

But instead of addressing the underlying causes of declining family formation, policymakers have spent the last twenty years making them worse.

Colorado provides a revealing case study.

In 2008, the median Denver-area home price was about a third of what it is today, $225,000 then and $610,000 today. 

Colorado was once a magnet for young families. Affordable housing, good schools, abundant jobs, and a high quality of life attracted newcomers from across the country. 

Today, many of those same advantages are eroding. The state remains desirable, but increasingly expensive, particularly for young adults contemplating marriage, homeownership, and children.

Housing costs have dramatically outpaced wage growth. Young adults face not........

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