NEWS RELEASE: COLORADO DEPT. OF EDUCATION
Colorado public school enrollment continues to decline with 1,800 fewer students counted in October than the previous year
State’s lowest overall PK-12 enrollment since 2013
DENVER – For the second straight year, student enrollment in Colorado’s public schools declined with the 2023-24 school year PK-12 student enrollment reaching the state’s lowest mark in a decade, according to the annual count of public school students in October.
The state’s October 2023 count of 881,464 students enrolled in public schools was 1,800 fewer than in October 2022, a 0.20% decrease. The last time Colorado’s public school enrollment was this low was 2013 when 876,999 students were counted.
Colorado’s school enrollment has experienced a downward trend in three of the past four years. The only difference was in 2021, when enrollment increased following a historic drop in October 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
For the 2023-24 school year, the largest combined enrollment decreases occurred in pre-kindergarten through first grade, with 3,691 fewer students than in 2022. A similar-sized decrease occurred in those grade levels in 2022.
The largest overall grade decrease in 2023 occurred in the first grade, which declined by 3.91% or 2,478 students when compared to first graders in 2022. Kindergarten saw 1,068 fewer students than were in kindergarten in 2022 for a 1.79% decrease. (See table below).
Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said that Colorado’s enrollment mirrors national trends: “Public school systems across the country are experiencing declines in student enrollment, particularly in the early grades. We know that pre-kindergarten and kindergarten are where students build critical foundations for life-long academic success including language development, early literacy, and social skills.
“Even as our state is experiencing demographic shifts that will impact student enrollment for years to come, we are encouraged by the state’s commitment to early learning through the Colorado Universal Preschool Program,” she said. Cordova noted that nearly 50,000 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in the Colorado Universal Preschool program that launched in the fall of 2023 through the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.
Based on the state’s October count, student demographics show 7,526 fewer white students in 2023, a decline of 1.66%. The number of students identifying as American Indians or Alaska Natives also declined by 127 students (2.32%). The state’s percentage of multiracial students increased by 3.39% and students identifying as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander increased by 9.18%. Follow this link for the complete 2023-24 school year student count information.
Additional highlights from the October count include:
- Students counted as homeschooled full-time increased by 8.44% to 9,406 students;
- Students registered in online educational programs increased by 3.48% to 31,839; and
- Students enrolled in charter schools decreased by 1.81% to 135,223.
A total of 113 of the state’s 178 school districts and two Boards of Cooperative Educational Services and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind reported drops in enrollment while 65 districts, four BOCES and Colorado detention centers reported increased or flat enrollment.
Although student enrollment counts were finalized and reported in October, districts nationwide continue to receive newcomer students. CDE is committed to working with districts and school teams to ensure they are supported in serving these multilingual learners.
| Top 10 School District for Enrollment |
 |
| Race and Ethnicity Counts |
 |