Chatham Schools Enrollment 'Defying Trends,' At All-Time High

When the economy took a tumble at the end of the last decade, so did school enrollment in many upper-middle class, affluent towns across the country.

Lost jobs, foreclosed homes, the erasure of financial safety nets spelled doom for many enrollment levels across New Jersey schools. As such, demographic studies were commissioned to show school boards what their districts would look like in the coming years.

Such was the case in Chatham, where previously commissioned studies said the district would see a steady decline in enrollment based on projected birth rates. While that projection is true, to an extent, for the 2015-16 school year, it hasn’t stopped the district from expanding.

“Our kindergarten enrollment is in fact lower this year than it has been in any recent year, at about 210 students,” said Chatham Superintendent Michael LaSusa in his monthly newsletter. “However, we have gained new registrants throughout our other grade levels and as a result our enrollment as of this writing is more than 4,150 students, which is the largest enrollment ever in the district.”

LaSusa said the impact has been most notable at Southern Boulevard School, where an additional section in both second and third grade has been added so class sizes are maintained.

The schools chief went on to explain the district is addressing facility needs through capital improvements, including moving forward with an Energy Savings Improvement Plan that was initiated last school year. The state-approved program would enable the district to finance energy-related projects for the school buildings, which, in turn, would reduce the use of energy consumption, LaSusa said.

The historic enrollment numbers come in the same year the school district was highly ranked by numerous publications, including U.S. News and World Report’s Gold Award (assigned to just three-percent of schools nationwide) for the high school, and a similar ranking by Newsweek in August.