PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A new study calls Portland’s high schools “empty,” saying they are operating with far fewer students than they were designed.

The study conducted by a consultant is among key considerations for a 16-member committee charged with finding cost-cutting opportunities for Portland’s public schools. The Portland Press Herald reports the city’s elementary and middle schools are operating at a healthy capacity.

Maine is aging and has declining numbers of young people, driving down enrollment from kindergarten through higher education.

Consultant Jon Thomas says healthy capacity is about 90 percent for high schools, but Portland registers at about 55 percent currently.

The committee’s goal is to find ways to reduce costs for education amid an expectation that state education funding will decrease even further in the coming years.