Colorado School Enrollment Decline Sparks Funding Concerns

Colorado's public schools saw a slight decline in student enrollment for the 2024-25 academic year, continuing a trend that reflects national patterns of decreasing enrollment and declining birth rates. The state recorded 881,065 students, a 0.1% decrease from the previous year. Despite this, some districts, particularly in the Denver metro area, experienced enrollment gains, partially due to an influx of immigrant students, which has helped to mitigate the overall decline. The data also revealed an increase in multilingual learners and a shift towards online and homeschooling options, with 9,826 children being homeschooled, up 4.5% from the previous year. The diversity in the student body is growing, with Hispanic students showing significant enrollment increases. The enrollment decline poses financial challenges for schools due to reduced state funding, leading to potential policy changes in how schools are funded.