Most Colorado school districts are continuing to count fewer students in their classrooms, propelling a statewide trend of declining enrollment. Total state enrollment in preschool through high school this school year fell by a modest 399 kids — from 881,464 students during fall 2023 to 881,065 students last fall, state data shows.
Education leaders attribute decreasing student counts across both the state and country to a mix of factors, primarily declining birth rates and increasing housing costs.
Four of the Colorado’s 10 largest districts saw a notable year-over-year decrease in students: Jeffco Public Schools, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Poudre School District and Boulder Valley School District.
The enrollment dips raise serious questions for impacted districts, with unique challenges surfacing in urban, suburban and rural parts of Colorado: How does a district continue funding fixed costs, including building maintenance and a full teaching staff, when an enrollment drop could also mean a state funding cut? At what point does a district consider closing a partially vacant school? What happens in rural stretches, where a community might have only one public school option because of its remote location?
Still, some districts and individual schools have held steady or are experiencing growth in their school-age population, including Denver Public Schools, 27J Schools in Brighton and Falcon School District 49 in El Paso County.
What do enrollment shifts at your school and district look like? Explore this interactive map, created for The Colorado Sun by the nonprofit Keystone Policy Center, to better understand how enrollment has evolved since 2020.