State Of The Schools: 5,261 More Students In Colorado This Year

ACROSS COLORADO– Colorado's public school student enrollment for pre-school through 12th Grade increased to 910,280 students, according to an annual pupil count report released today by the Colorado Department of Education. But the rate of growth is slowing. The 5,216 new students (or 0.6 percent) added are the smallest increase the state has seen since the 1989-90 school year. The average growth rate for the past 20 years has been 1.3 percent. The data is compiled from the public schools' Student October Count.

Here are the schools in the state with the 15 highest student populations and their enrollment growth or shrinkage:

These 15 school districts, with a total enrollment of 611,670, represent 67.2 percent of the total statewide enrollment.

District Decreases Aurora Public Schools had the largest drop in student enrollment from 41,797 in 2016 to 40,920 in 2017, a decrease of 877 students or 2.1 percent. A total of 84 school districts or BOCES saw enrollment decreases in 2017 totaling 4,257 students. The districts with the largest decreases were Aurora Public Schools, Colorado Springs District 11 (484 students), Pueblo City Schools Dist. 60(389 students), Jeffco Public Schools (235 students), and Westminster Public Schools (197 students).

Race and Ethnicity Data

The group with the largest increase in total students counted was students identified as Hispanic or Latino, with an increase from 303,573 to 306,434 (2,861-student increase), which is a 0.94 percent increase over the 2016-17 Hispanic or Latino student population.

Fastest Growing Districts

Of districts with greater than 100 students, the Charter School Institute had the largest gains in 2017, adding 1,128 students, which is a 6.9 percent increase from 2016, according to the CDE. Part of the reason the Charter School Institute saw an increase this year was the addition of two new schools. Cherry Creek School District saw the second largest growth in the number of students this year with an increase of 842 students representing a 1.5 percent increase in the student population.

Three other districts increased by 500 or more students: Brighton School District 27J (768 students), Denver Public Schools (662 students) and Falcon School District 49 (614 students).

Online Enrollment The 2017-18 enrollment totals include 19,876 students registered in online educational programs. This is 2.2 percent of all students. The online enrollment for 2017 is a 1.5 percent more from the 2016. The 2017 online enrollment reflects a 19.5 percent increase over the past five years and 116 percent increase over the past 10 years.

Free and Reduced Lunch Eligible Students

Fewer students were eligible for free and reduced price meals, which is traditionally an indication of poverty. A total of 379,458 students were reported as eligible for free or reduced price meals in 2017, or 41.7 percent of the state’s total student population. That is a 1,727-student decrease from the fall of 2016 and a 0.5 percent decrease in the number of students reported as eligible.

English Learners

A total of 128,274 students in 2017 were reported as receiving English Learner services or being monitored after exiting from an English Learner program, or 14.1 percent of Colorado’s students. This is a decrease of 963 students from the previous year.

Special Education Students

A total of 98,984 students were reported in the fall of 2017 as receiving special education services, or 10.9 percent of the state’s student population. This represents an increase of 3,622 students since the fall of 2016.

Gifted and Talented Students

A total of 67,082 students were identified as gifted and talented in 2017, or 7.4 percent of the state’s total student population. This is an increase of 1,268 students since fall of 2016.

To access to the complete 2017-18 school year student count information click here: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cde...

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