APS down 4% enrollment, FCPS down 5%
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Anonymous
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https://sungazette.news/arlington-school-enrollment-still-well-below-pre-covid-figure/
State enrollment shows APS declined 4%, FCPS declined 5%, since the beginning of the pandemic. That’s somewhat even more remarkable given some Fairfax zip codes were among the most active for sales last year. National average was 3%, that includes states and districts that stayed shut for a year, and those that returned last summer. Looking for ACPS exact losses but they’re down too. In other words, coronavirus school closures and losses are likely permanent. If they didn’t come back in August/September, don’t expect them to be back next year. Maybe there is a demographic dividend in 5-7 years as (existing) families who moved to the suburbs, enroll, although births also declined in 2020-2021, so that’s probably another 1% loss assuming everything returns to normal today. But districts still need to make payroll, and more specifically don’t be surprised if the new elementary school teacher, losses her job. For other parts of the country, teachers lost typically exit the system and don’t come back. Thanks unions and their Democrat lackeys who repeatedly refused to reopen. Always winning and doing what’s best for the children. |
Anonymous
| I think this is a blip and many will come back next year. |
Anonymous
| Maybe this will keep W-L and Wakefield from being so overcrowded in a few years, since APS could never get its act together to build a fourth comprehensive high school. |
Anonymous
Already a thread. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1006466.page |
Anonymous
We left this year and have no intention of coming back and every one else I know who has done so feels the same. |
Anonymous
Indeed. |
Anonymous
| Is 4% that big of a deal? I expected the percentage to be in the double digits |
Anonymous
It's a big deal. All the players bet on growth. Kind of like home prices - worst expected case is no growth, not negative numbers. With decline in birthrate mentioned upthread, cuts seem likely. Many families found out that online learning is just fine. It became a side path to homeschooling. |
Anonymous
This, I think families either went to private or are homeschooling or went virtual due to covid. We went virtual. I don't think the schools are handling covid responsibly and I'd rather avoid covid. |
Anonymous
Fixed it for you. |
Anonymous
Yes 4% loss is a big deal, and based on other areas concentrated at elementary school, it already means fired teachers and if birth rates don’t return to “normal” school closures. Would you like a 4-5% pay cut? Or how about overhead for the next 5-7 years hoping some kids are born. |
Anonymous
You and the schools hope that. That doesn’t jive with the talking point and observation that families moved. So optimistically, even if the people who replaced the homeowners in say Springfield, bought bigger with the intent to form a family, that’s 5-7 years from now and given declining birth rates even before the pandemic, not 1:1 replacement. |
Anonymous
That enrollment number counts or did count for virtual. Private doesn’t have the capacity to supplant a thousand more students. They’re gone. It’s also pretty damning that anyone in this area would tolerate a year of school closures. It is and will continue to be a clear measure of a district and a community if they thought that was okay. Especially whilst debating nonsense issues that have nothing to do with education. |
Anonymous
How do? Just curious. ES Teacher |
Anonymous
| I’d expect the homeschooled kids to trickle back as well as some kids in private schools that their parents really can’t afford long term. It will be interesting to see how this is taken into account for line drawing, i.e. will school remain under enrolled in the hope kids will return or will boundaries be shifted with the assumption that the changes are permanent |