By Nicole C. Brambila | SOURCE: THE DENVER GAZETTE
Student enrollment statewide declined for a second year with new data from the Colorado Department of Education showing a loss of about 1,800 students on what’s called the October count, which is used to determine funding levels for school districts.
“On a percentage basis, it’s a fairly small change,” said Jennifer Okes, chief school operations officer for the Colorado Department of Education.
Statewide enrollment remains relatively stable.
Those 1,800 Colorado students equate to a roughly 0.20% decrease, down from 883,264 in 2022 to 881,464 last fall, state data shows.
Colorado’s enrollment was last this low in 2013, when 876,999 pupils were counted, after gaining 13,438 students.
What the Oct. 2 count doesn’t show is the growth — spurred by newly arriving immigrants — to Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest school district. In 2022, the district lost more than 1,000 students, which represented a 1.15% change from the previous school year.
Not this school year.