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Enrollment Data Available
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I have had no time to check this info out but it is available so I'm putting up this link for anyone who wants to see enrollment data for 2011-2012.
"District enrollment has been increasing since 2007, with two years of moderate overall growth followed by significant growth in 2010‐11. Overall enrollment is up by more than 1,000 students this year over last, driven largely by a steady increase in kindergarten enrollment over the past five years. Kindergarten enrollment has increased by more than 650 students since 2006, including an increase of about 200 students this year over last. As these students move through the elementary grades, enrollment in grades 1‐5 also continues to climb.
Growth in kindergarten enrollment is expected to continue. Births five years prior to kindergarten enrollment fluctuated between 2006 and 2010, ending up with a difference of about fifty more births feeding into 2010 enrollment than births feeding into 2006 enrollment. During that time period, however, the Birth‐to‐Kindergarten ratio1 increased steadily, growing from 63% in 2006 to 73% in 2010. In fact, going back five more years, the Birth‐to‐Kindergarten ratio was only 58.6% in 2001, so the current ratio is the highest in over a decade.
At the middle school level (grades 6‐8), this year’s enrollment is almost back up to what it was five years ago, following a significant decline between 2006 and 2007. Enrollment at the high school level has been declining for a number of years, reflecting the smaller cohorts of students at lower grades moving through the district. High school enrollment declined by about 900 students from 2006 to 2010, although there was an increase of about 70 students this year over last year. As the larger elementary school cohorts move through middle and high school, those numbers will continue to increase.
Anonymous said…
Is there any numbers about how large an elementary school needs to be to qualify for 2 principals or an assistant principal?
Just wondering
dw said…
@just wondering, 475 was the last I'd heard, but that was a couple years ago, and things can change. Not to mention that there's no guarantee any single number was used consistently throughout the district during a given year.
Rufus X said…
@Just wondering- Most recently, the magic number was 450, at least for Elem. schools.
Jon said…
If "distict enrollment has been increasing since 2007", why did central administration decide to close a bunch of schools in 2009?
The problem, as explained by the demographic consultant, is that the district didn't quite believe the growth would be sustained AND also thought it was localized to a few areas.
I think MGJ thought this would be a way to save money and look authoritative.
Name said…
Re: closing schools even though demographics were rising. I also think the board wanted to look decisive and prove that they could do what the old board couldn't. Staff became obsessed with trying to solve old problems using the capacity management as a cover (end all city draw, reduce transportation, close Summit and AAA, get Pathfinder a new building, do something with SBOC, punish AS#1 and NOVA for being so stubbornly non-conformist, split up APP.
robyn said…
2010 was the lowest birth rate in a century. By the time all the new schools you ask for are open we won't need them.
The official determination of the staffing tiers is made when the Weighted Staffing Standards (WSS) is determined. This is all part of budget development.
As the Board and the senior staff turn their attention to budget development in February you will hear this discussed. I wish I could say that you will hear it debated, but discussed is the best we can hope for.
This information is fascinating. Those who have been worried that it will be difficult for their HS student to opt for a school other than their attendance area should be very reassured. in Section 6, there's a chart that reveals just how much movement there has been among the schools in 2010. See also, the Historical First Choice and High School enrollment by Attendance area under Section 3.
Of course, there are still 2 grades in each HS which were assigned before the new assignment plan, but overall, these numbers show that there's a lot of movement between schools, and at least in the north end, in all directions.
Actually, Charlie, the core staffing part of the WSS has been deeply debated by the WSS team. As long as weather doesn't cancel it, look for a discussion at tomorrow's board worksession. Expect changes. While the current budget development scenario looks like it might protect WSS for the most part, the core staffing model might undergo some changes that will reduce core staff in a few schools while providing more staffing flexibility in others. That is supposed to be part of tomorrow's discussion and that worksession is the only reason I am crossing my fingers against snow.
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Why You Should Care Mr. Crabill has found quite the acolyte in Director Chandra Hampson. In the course of discussions over SOFG, she says his name over and over, "A.J .says we...." Now that's not too surprising given the direction the district is heading and that it is Mr. Crabill's work with the Council of Great City Schools is how we got here. But it appears that Mr. Crabill is working very closely with Hampson and we know she wields some amount of power over the majority of the Board. Mr. Crabill is going to continue to work with the Board as SOFG is instituted in SPS. In fact, his role may become more public as it did at one SPS Board meeting in the spring where he was on the phone during the meeting and suggested the Board stop the meeting to "self-reflect." I also noticed that in a district in South Carolina, when things weren't going to plan, he blamed the Board for not following SOFG to the letter. Look for that to happen here if Board members w
Via the SPS webpage: The public is invited to attend or stream this forum for candidates for appointment to the District 2 and 4 School Board Director seats. All finalists will have the opportunity to share why they are interested in serving on the Seattle School Board and answer questions selected by the Board and Student Members. More information about the appointment process, including a timeline and candidate webpages, can be found on the appointment process web page . SPSTV Streaming: The meeting will be live streamed on SPSTV and broadcast on television on Comcast 26 (standard-def) and 319 (hi-def), Wave 26 (standard-def) and 695 (hi-def), and Century Link 8008 (standard-def) and 8508 (hi-def). The agenda reflects the above wording - the meeting will be two-and-a-half hours. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 27th at the Performing Arts Center at Lincoln High School, 4400 Interlake Avenue North from 6-8:30 pm. The Board's schedule reflects announcing
Comments
"District enrollment has been increasing since 2007, with two years of moderate overall growth followed
by significant growth in 2010‐11. Overall enrollment is up by more than 1,000 students this year over
last, driven largely by a steady increase in kindergarten enrollment over the past five years. Kindergarten
enrollment has increased by more than 650 students since 2006, including an increase of about 200
students this year over last. As these students move through the elementary grades, enrollment in
grades 1‐5 also continues to climb.
Growth in kindergarten enrollment is expected to continue. Births five years prior to kindergarten
enrollment fluctuated between 2006 and 2010, ending up with a difference of about fifty more births
feeding into 2010 enrollment than births feeding into 2006 enrollment. During that time period,
however, the Birth‐to‐Kindergarten ratio1 increased steadily, growing from 63% in 2006 to 73% in 2010.
In fact, going back five more years, the Birth‐to‐Kindergarten ratio was only 58.6% in 2001, so the
current ratio is the highest in over a decade.
At the middle school level (grades 6‐8), this year’s enrollment is almost back up to what it was five years
ago, following a significant decline between 2006 and 2007. Enrollment at the high school level has
been declining for a number of years, reflecting the smaller cohorts of students at lower grades moving
through the district. High school enrollment declined by about 900 students from 2006 to 2010,
although there was an increase of about 70 students this year over last year. As the larger elementary
school cohorts move through middle and high school, those numbers will continue to increase.
Just wondering
The problem, as explained by the demographic consultant, is that the district didn't quite believe the growth would be sustained AND also thought it was localized to a few areas.
I think MGJ thought this would be a way to save money and look authoritative.
As the Board and the senior staff turn their attention to budget development in February you will hear this discussed. I wish I could say that you will hear it debated, but discussed is the best we can hope for.
Of course, there are still 2 grades in each HS which were assigned before the new assignment plan, but overall, these numbers show that there's a lot of movement between schools, and at least in the north end, in all directions.