Enrollment Drops in Wyoming Schools
According to a press release from the Wyoming Department of Education, overall enrollment in Wyoming’s schools dropped by 352 students for the 2022-23 school year.
Across each district, 28 saw a decrease in enrollment, 19 saw an increase, and one district, Uinta, had no change.
Enrollment in this school year is the lowest since the 2012 to 2013 school year, which had 90,993, but higher than the lowest during the 2005 to 2006 school year when it was 83,705.
The highest enrollment the state has had since at least 1991 was 100,757 in the 1993 to 1994 school year.
In the Natrona County School District, enrollment went from 12,887 in the 2021 to 2022 school year to 12,833 in the most recent school year.
That's higher than the 12,754 from 2020 to 2021 and the 11,408 during the 2005 to 2006 school year, the lowest attendance numbers in the district going back 30 years.
In every school year listed, the NCSD is in second behind Laramie #1 for the highest enrollment numbers across the state.
The NCSD saw a 2.54% decrease in attendance in the 2021 to 2022 school year, compared to the previous year, which was the lowest it's been in the past five years.
There are five statewide virtual education programs in Wyoming and three, Big Horn #1, Niobrara #1, and Sweetwater #1, decreased in size, which the release speculates is due to students returning to their in-person school after the COVID-19 pandemic learning changes.
Sheridan #1 saw an increase of 31 students or a three percent change, while Weston #7 increased by 54%, going from 471 students to 725 due to their virtual program.
This data was gathered from all school districts throughout the state in a snapshot on Oct. 1.