WALNUT CREEK — The Contra Costa School of Performing Arts will take its last curtain call in June, after administrators said rising facility costs and declining enrollment proved financially unsustainable for the 6-12th grade professional-track arts curriculum.
For nearly a decade, the nonprofit charter school offered a free, project-based learning environment for young artists to explore courses in dance, instrumental and vocal music, theater production and design. Its closure comes roughly eight years after the charter established its campus and one year before its most recent charter authorization was originally set to expire.
The recently renovated 42,000-square-foot building at 2730 Mitchell Dr. is now for sale, opening up prime property in the heart of the the Shadelands, a burgeoning business and recreation district in Walnut Creek.
The site is currently permitted for up to 725 students, but was constructed in 2009 as laboratory and office space. Commercial real estate brokers have started courting buyers to join the growing cluster of healthcare, biomed and retail organizations in the Shadelands. In addition to a push for more tech growth, developers are also planning to build dense, mixed-use housing projects near the school’s 4.5-acre property — designed to attract families and seniors looking to “work, live and play” in Walnut Creek.
Heather Vega, chair of the school’s governing board, said the decision to shutter was made in January — approved independently of the transformation being dreamed up next door.
“Unfortunately, just like so many others, we were hit very hard after COVID for a variety of things, and we just weren’t in a position to make it work financially anymore,” Vega said in an interview this week. Compared to other campuses operated within a larger school district system, she said single-site schools often have more difficulty weathering structural deficits and academic challenges.
“Our enrollment has struggled, and we’ve had a lot of leadership shifts. We’ve been fighting for a very long time to try, but it just wasn’t in our cards,” Vega said.
These issues aren’t unique to arts educators in the East Bay.
A small charter in San Jose’s Alum Rock neighborhood closed last summer, after executives announced that not enough students were enrolled to stay afloat amid million-dollar deficits. Facing a $4.5 million shortfall in 2023, a Sunnyvale charter was shut down by its parent company, Summit Public Schools, which had closed its other location in San Jose four years prior. The same company voted in March to close a third charter, located in Redwood City.
In Walnut Creek, after learning about the school’s fate, Vega said some families made plans to transfer out early, but other youth doubled down on their dedication to final performances or even expedited coursework in order to receive their diplomas.
“It’s bittersweet, but our students have had a lot of opportunity to process and think about how they want to end the year, and they’ve been an active part in all of it,” Vega said. The school just wrapped a production of “Into the Woods,” the musical they were forced to abandon during the pandemic. A dance showcase and other performances are also scheduled in the coming weeks.
“We wanted to give our families and community enough time to not only figure out next steps,” Vega said, “but also celebrate being here — empowering our students to take a final bow.”
At its peak, the Walnut Creek arts school had 471 students in the 2018-19 school year, according to data published by the California Department of Education. Despite attracting a diverse cohort from across Contra Costa County since its fall 2016 opening, enrollment has steadily declined in recent years, dropping to 361 during 2023-24 –– just shy of half capacity.
Vega acknowledged that it was difficult for the school to offer programs that adequately served the 6th graders transitioning out of elementary school, seniors about to graduate and all ages in between, juggling different state testing requirements and individual learning needs.
“I think we were a little too young — in our building, our foundation and here in the community — when COVID hit, so we just didn’t have enough runway,” Vega said. “Providing a platform for creativity and beauty for our students, it’s going to be sad to see that go. But I’m also just really proud that we were here.”
Mark Nimon, Walnut Creek’s economic development manager, said SPA’s recent drops in enrollment reflect similar regional transportation and traffic patterns that have negatively impacted other local businesses.
While saying the city has appreciated and benefited from having a performance arts school within its boundaries, he acknowledged that the upcoming sale of the school’s property will be consistent with his staff’s long term vision for regional growth. The area’s redevelopment presents a “huge” opportunity to improve the balance of jobs and housing in the city, among other positives for local households.
“We regret watching any Walnut Creek business close, but we’ll try to create opportunities for other businesses to backfill the space and offset some of the economic impacts that we’re losing out on,” Nimon said. “Shadelands has historically been an economic engine, so the hope is that this (school site) supports tenants that offer other, higher paying jobs.”
Nimon said since the SPA purchased its building on Mitchell Drive with bonds earmarked for educational purposes, they can’t hold on to the building.
“I’m not sure what kind of offers they’re getting,” Nimon said, “but certainly given the level of interest and overall activity in the area, we’ll just have to see.”