New Enrollment Report Out

District 281’s mid-year enrollment report came out at the January 17 board meeting.  Here are some highlights;

*There are 11,662 students enrolled in Robbinsdale Area Schools as of January 1, 2011 excluding ALC , tuition, EC and RTC students. Enrollment is 21 (0.2%) students more than enrollment January 2010. Enrollment represents 3.5% more students than original 2010‐11 enrollment projections.

*Enrollment since the beginning of the school year has remained relatively strong at the elementary and middle levels. Enrollment since the beginning of the school year has dropped at the high school slightly more than it did in 2009‐10.

Now here are some trends….

*The predominate driver of declining enrollment in the district (14% since 2002‐03) is the decline of school‐age children residing in the school district (9% since 2002‐03). The percentage of resident students attending Robbinsdale Area Schools is currently 71.6%, slightly higher percentage than in 2009‐10.

*28% of resident students do not attend district schools. Resident students attending non‐public schools, other public schools, home school, charter schools and WMEP schools have all decreased slightly compared to 2009‐10 levels. Charter schools have realized the largest gain of resident student enrollment since 2002 (545 students). Beacon Academy (charter school) enrolls 170 resident students and has experienced the largest enrollment gain of resident students since 2005 although it has not gained residents in the last year. Prairie Seeds Academy, located within the district, has realized the largest percentage enrollment gain of resident since 2007‐08. Charter schools are a relatively new public choice for resident families. Of the seven charter schools enrolling the most resident students, only two were operating in 2002‐03.

For the kids who live in District 281, here is some data on where they attend;

*71.6% attend Robbinsdale Area Schools

*9.8% attend non-public schools

*9.2% attend other public schools

*4.4% attend those EVIL charter schools

*1.7 % are home schooled

*The rest attend WMEP or ISD 287 Special Ed or Highview

Here is the prediction for the 2011-2012 year;

*The district projects 11,586 students will be enrolled January 2012 based on historical data, trends and birth records. The projections indicate a modest decline of 0.7% with most of the decline occurring at the middle school level. January enrollment projections are used to approximate next year’s ADM. These projections will be used to develop the 2011‐2012 revenue budget and to staff the schools at board‐established ratios. Enrollment for school years 2012‐13 is projected to level reflecting only a minimal decline.

We will post some more on this in the coming days and weeks.