ACPS enrollment numbers: city vs. ACPS

[Anonymous]

Wilson' mailer for the Democratic primary mentioned that 2k students left ACPS and he viewed it as a positive for the city budget. Dr. Hutchings stated that the number of students who left during the pandemic year was only 1k, with the majority being kindergarten students whose parents sent them to private or private preschools. He said those families intend to reenroll in ACPS. How does either have accurate numbers? Only the last few weeks has our principal's newsletter asked for families who are not reenrolling to contact the registrar of their home school. The family choice form for 2021-2022 didn't have a way to indicate you were not coming back. I know my neighbors and friends who are not returning to ACPS were unable to indicate so on the form, so they chose that they were returning. I think the numbers are going to be higher than 2K. Though I heard that 94% of families selected the in person learning versus Virtual Virginia. Anyone have any info from the school board meeting as to the demographic breakdown? I'm curious who is continuing to stay home. I have elementary school aged kids and I'm super nervous about the return to school as usual after the pandemic year. I don't think it's a smart choice. But my kids wanted to go back to shcool and our community spread rates are very low. I just worry about the Delta variant for very young kids who can't yet get vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

The Fall Membership numbers (this is what VDOE calls them) are due 9/30. So don't expect to see numbers for the 2021-2022 until October. As of the report for fall 2020, ACPS had lost 462 students.

I don't know where the 2k or 1k numbers come from. A number of kids left our elementary school after the fall so maybe Hutchings has a more up to date number.

We aren't coming back. I didn't do the survey. I know a few people who did the survey saying they were coming back but now plans have changed and they aren't returning.

ACPS lost the equivalent of an Elementary School last year. It seems like a ton of kids at all grade levels are leaving our ES in 2021-2022 but who really knows.

[Anonymous]

Wilson is celebrating a declining in enrollment? A year of lost learning?

I’ve written elsewhere, the city’s incentive is to prevent family formation, because families require schools, which cost money.

They then encourage/enforce this dynamic with 1 bed apartments and condos. Maximum revenue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wilson is celebrating a declining in enrollment? A year of lost learning?

I’ve written elsewhere, the city’s incentive is to prevent family formation, because families require schools, which cost money.

They then encourage/enforce this dynamic with 1 bed apartments and condos. Maximum revenue.

It is true Wilson wrote positively about the decline in ACPS enrollment but then conceded he was commenting on it from a budgetary perspective and not commenting on it as good or bad from an ACPS perspective or how it is an indictment against Hutchings.

On your second point, I agree in part but not with your ultimate conclusion. Since the primary development opportunities in Alexandria are in transit adjacent locations (rail or bus), the city is supportive of apartments/condos (not necessarily just 1 bedroom units) (with hopefully affordable housing units included) rather than single family homes. I think is supported not just to maximize revenue but also to maximize use of transit (ie get the benefit of the development while trying to minimize making traffic worse). I do not think the motivation is to limit family formation in Alexandria with children (families can live in apartments or condos too just many choose not to). I think the better critique of Wilson on schools is he is willing to weigh in selectively (ie supporting in person reopening) while disclaiming an ability to weigh in on the general malaise of ACPS / problems with Hutchings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wilson is celebrating a declining in enrollment? A year of lost learning?

I’ve written elsewhere, the city’s incentive is to prevent family formation, because families require schools, which cost money.

They then encourage/enforce this dynamic with 1 bed apartments and condos. Maximum revenue.

I'm not sure I'd equate leaving ACPS as a "year of lost learning". That's what happened to the kids that stayed in ACPS. Those that went to private school, or home schooled, likely got a quality education.