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DECEMBER 31, 2025
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VOLUME 4, ISSUE NO. 6
FIRST WAVE 1
MPS superintendent shares data, theories on why enrollment is dropping. Page 1.
Five facts from this week’s Marblehead Current.
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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Arts Festival 3 The will reveal its 2026
The community rallies around the family of a 55-yearold dad who died suddenly before Christmas. Page 2.
winning logo this month. Page 12.
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
Headers 4 Hockey come home after
tough loss. Page 8.
back at the 5 Atoplooksports stories of 2025. Page 8.
EDUCATION
Officials explore enrollment drop causes Superintendent presents data, theories BY LEIGH BLANDER During the 2024-25 school year, 215 Marblehead students transferred out of the district, the highest number since the COVID-19 pandemic. Most — 83 of them — enrolled in private schools in Massachusetts. Another 70 transferred to other
public schools, including charter schools. Superintendent John Robidoux updated the School Committee with new enrollment data at a Dec. 18 meeting, addressing concerns about a steady decline in enrollment over the past decade. Robidoux said the district has lost an average of 3.88% of its students annually since 2019. He noted that enrollment declines are most pronounced during transition years — from elementary to middle school
and from middle school to high school. “Transition years between buildings are always a pinch point,” Robidoux said. “We have significant numbers of students
who attend private, charter and vocational options, especially in the secondary grades.” Robidoux added that enrollment declines are affecting districts statewide as birth rates continue to fall. The U.S. Department of Education projects that K-12 public school enrollment in Massachusetts will drop by about 40,000 students, or 4.5%, by 2030. Beyond birth rates, Robidoux cited broader demographic and housing trends, including Marblehead’s aging population
MOMENTS IN TIME
and limited development of new family housing. He emphasized that declining enrollment does not automatically translate to fewer teachers or programs. “The decline in enrollment is rarely in large pockets that would result in specific classroom reductions,” Robidoux said. “Instead, the decline is spread across grade levels, so fewer students do not necessarily equate to similar ENROLLMENT, P. 2
EDUCATION
Jewish day school fights for survival
Collector Dixey shares his newest old photos
BY LEIGH BLANDER
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
Dan Dixey scans his thousands of photos and slides and has created a deeply researched archive.
BY LEIGH BLANDER Dan Dixey was eating breakfast at the Driftwood with his grandson a few weeks ago when Thomas Underwood spotted him and approached. Underwood had discovered a new trove of old Marblehead photos, and he knew Dixey was the right person to preserve them. Dixey has become the unofficial keeper of old Marblehead photos.
He’s collected thousands of photographs, negatives, slides and even stereocards of Marblehead, dating back to the 1860s. Where does he get them all? Dixey scours estate sales and collections. And people like Underwood approach him with their old family photos because they know how much he values them. Once a photograph lands in his care, Dixey’s real work begins. He researches when and where each
image was taken, poring over old newspaper articles, archival records, old insurance maps and even Google Earth. He also turns to the public, posting images on social media and asking followers to help identify people, places and moments frozen in time. One of Underwood’s photos shows a young boy standing with a dog, Abbot Hall visible in the distance.
The North Shore’s only Jewish day school — the Epstein Hillel School in Marblehead — is facing a financial crisis, and its longterm survival remains uncertain. The school’s board announced last week that, beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, Epstein Hillel plans to move to a prekindergarten through fifth-grade model, eliminating grades six through eight. “Operating a PreK-5 school gives us the strongest chance to achieve longterm sustainability,” the board wrote in a message to families. “We know this news is heartbreaking, especially for the students and families currently in grades five to seven. Our priority in the coming weeks is to provide guidance and resources to impacted families and faculty as they consider their next steps.” The school, which opened as Cohen Hillel Academy in Lynn in 1955, has launched an emergency fundraising campaign as it works to stabilize its finances. “The closure of the only Jewish day school on the North Shore would mean the loss of meaningful and comprehensive Jewish education for generations to come,” said Coree Dovev, whose two children attend Epstein Hillel in pre-kindergarten and fourth grade. Dovev added, “While the effects may not be felt immediately, the long-term consequences would be profound and
DIXEY, P. 2 SCHOOL, P. 2
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