Colorado Public School Enrollment Declines, Yet Migrants Provide Support

Colorado’s public school enrollment continues to drop, but an influx of migrant students is helping to ease the decline.

Colorado Public School Enrollment Declines, Yet Migrants Provide Support
Colorado Public School Enrollment Declines, Yet Migrants Provide Support

Denver: Last year, Colorado saw a wave of immigrants, which helped slow down the drop in public school enrollment. For years, schools have been losing students and funding due to falling birth rates across the country.

Even with the arrival of thousands of migrant students, enrollment still hit an 11-year low this fall. The latest data shows a decrease of 399 students, bringing the total to 881,065 kids in preschool through 12th grade.

This decline is much smaller compared to the previous two years, where enrollment dropped by over 5,000 students combined. Since the peak in the 2019-2020 school year, public school enrollment has fallen by 3.5%.

Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova noted that parents have many choices for their kids’ education. Schools are working hard to engage students and build strong ties with families and communities.

Nationwide, K-12 enrollment is down as fewer babies are being born. The pandemic also played a role, with more families opting for homeschooling and kids missing school. In Denver, rising housing costs are pushing families out of their neighborhoods.

This year, nearly 10,000 kids are being homeschooled, a 4.5% increase from last year. Online education is also on the rise, with over 33,000 students enrolled in such programs.

The drop in enrollment is putting financial pressure on school districts, which rely on state funding tied to student numbers. As a result, major districts like Denver Public Schools and Jeffco are closing schools or planning closures.

Interestingly, the student population is changing. More students of color are enrolling, while the number of white students is decreasing. Latino student enrollment rose by almost 3%, while multilingual learners increased by 10%.

Despite the overall decline, Denver Public Schools saw a boost in enrollment, thanks to over 4,700 immigrant students. Nearly 4,000 of these kids attended DPS schools, and 80% returned this fall.

DPS enrollment increased by 2.5% this year, reaching 90,450 students. However, experts warn that this growth may be temporary due to ongoing challenges like low birth rates and high housing costs.

To adapt, DPS plans to close seven schools and restructure three more for fewer students next year. Other districts like Aurora and Cherry Creek also experienced slight enrollment increases, while Jeffco and Douglas County saw minor declines.

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