Districts monitoring rebounds with student enrollment

Districts across the county tracked enrollment dips over the course of the pandemic and some in our area are now watching for numbers to rebound. 

Seminole County Public School leaders are tracking enrollment numbers. 

"We have 1061 students currently in VPK. When I compare that to 2019 - 2020, because that was more of a normal year, we are down 125 students," said Marian Cummings, Assistant Superintendent of Student and School Success, "When I think about kindergarten in comparison to the 2019-2020 school year - we're down about 325 students." 

Marian Cummings is one of the district leaders keeping count and urging families to come back. 

"I think some parents are still skeptical," said Cummings, "We're actively recruiting." 

Districts across the country are watching and waiting for enrollment rebounds. The U.S. Census released new figures that shows U.S. Enrollment dropped by 2.9 million from 2019 to 2020. 

Each student in a desk is important because it is used to calculate funding for the next year. The state has already hit an enrollment data benchmark for districts to report student numbers. 

"Our funding is dependent upon student enrollment and I think we're always thinking about the budget," said Cummings, "While we might see a slight decrease because of enrollment, we also have the opportunities through the use of ESSER funds to work on things like learning loss." 

According to Seminole County Public Schools, school districts will also report student enrollment numbers to the state again in February.