A recent report from the Colorado Department of Education shows fewer students are enrolled in the state's public schools again this year. Figures from October 2023 show over 881,000 students were enrolled in public schools, down 1,800 students From October 2022.
Chalkbeat Colorado reporter Melanie Asmar joined KUNC host Michael Lyle on Wednesday to discuss the reasons for the low enrollment.
Asmar said Colorado State Demography Office officials have said the low enrollment is mostly due to declining birth rates.
"People in Colorado are having fewer babies," said Asmar. "(The State Demographer) said that out of Colorado's 64 counties, 43 of them have seen a decline in the number of children just over the past decade. "
Asmar also said school districts that are seeing fewer students are getting less money, which also contributes to low enrollment.
"That can cause some budget crunches among several school districts," said Asmar. "Fewer students means less money, which means sometimes less programming available for students."
Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova recently spoke on the importance of the state's Universal Preschool program as a way to combat the enrollment problem. But Asmar said despite the preschool program's perks, parents still have other options to enroll their children in, like private or religious preschools.
"It's not necessarily a 'cure all' for this problem of declining enrollment," Asmar said.
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Of the school districts statewide, Aurora Public Schools was one of the few that saw an increase in enrollment this fall compared to last year. Denver Public Schools was second in line for enrollment increases, gaining 371 students.
