The city of Hjørring, Denmark carried out an overall public school consolidation/closure, closing 12 out of 27 schools. This paper presents a case study of planning methods and outcomes of the reform. Small rural schools were closed and those that were not were organizationally consolidated to form school-systems together with a number of schools. This method allowed to increase operational efficiency while maintaining local schools. In several areas where public schools were closed, parents and residents established a private school (friskole) to maintain a local school. Complementing the closure of public schools by self-established private schools was a characteristic phenomenon.