The new paint and furniture at Viewlands and Rainier View elementaries make them feel like what they are: a fresh start.
The Seattle School Board voted in 2006 to close the two schools in opposite corners of the city, farming out students to nearby schools and letting jungles of weeds grow in the courtyards.
At the time, enrollment in Seattle Public Schools was at a 50-year low, and the contentious closures felt like evidence that families were fleeing the city, or at least the city's public schools.
But after deciding to close 11 schools between 2006 and 2010, the district saw its enrollment trend reverse. Enrollment is up in other area districts, as well. The Northshore, Bellevue and Highline school districts all report gains this year.
