Student enrollment numbers are down

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Both Weston County school districts experienced decreases in student enrollment from the 2019-20 school year to the 2020-21 school year, according to information prepared by the Wyoming Department of Education. The enrollment numbers represent the lowest student population in either district in the past 12 years, with the exception of the 2017-18 school year in Newcastle. 
The decrease in student enrollment was felt statewide with only 10 school districts across the state reporting an increase in enrollment, while 38 saw numbers decline. 
“We have not seen as drastic of a decrease as other districts in the state, but every student not enrolled in our schools has an impact on funding for the district,” said Brad LaCroix, superintendent of Weston County School District No. 1. 
The number of students in a district determines the amount of funding the district will receive, LaCroix said, so the higher the enrollment numbers, the more money the schools have to operate on. 
According to the data, the district had 777 students enrolled in grades K-12 on Oct. 1. Last year, 810 students were enrolled on the same date.  
Fewer students are enrolled in both the elementary school and middle school levels, with more students enrolled at Newcastle High School. As of Oct. 1, 361 students were attending Newcastle Elementary School, 170 were attending Newcastle Middle School and the high school had 246 students enrolled.  
The same trend was seen in Weston County School District No. 7. Upton Elementary School has fewer students enrolled this year, with 96 students enrolled on Oct. 1. Upton Middle School had 55 students enrolled. Upton High School saw an increase in student population, similar to Newcastle’s numbers, with 71 students enrolled. 
On Oct. 1, a total of 222 students were enrolled in Upton schools on Oct. 1, 13 fewer than in the previous year. Student enrollment in Upton
has been steadily dropping over the past 12 years, with a record 291 students attending school in the district in 2008. 
Newcastle’s student population fluctuates more, according to the data. The highest enrollment seen in the district was in 2008, the same as Upton, with 820 students attending classes in the district. The only year the district has seen numbers lower than the current enrolled population was in 2017, when the district reported only 754 students. 
According to LaCroix and school board Chair Tina Chick, a school district never wants to see a decrease in students because student enrollment directly impacts funding levels. 
“Keeping a steady stream of students coming through a district is important,” LaCroix said. “A growing school district represents a healthy community with young families.” 
Even better than a steady stream, though, is an increase in student enrollment, LaCroix and Chick said. 
Weston County’s two school districts aren’t the only districts that experienced a decrease in student population. Statewide, according to a press release from the Wyoming Department of Education, enrollment is down 1,894 students from the previous year.  Total enrollment in the state was 91,938, the first time in 8 years the student population in the state has dropped below 92,000.