The enrollment numbers

The graphic accompanying the story only showed the enrollment growth or shrinkage of other area school districts. It didn’t show Duluth’s initial enrollment for 2008. I can’t imagine the District is eager to reveal them before the referendum on the levy.

These are the figures for other Districts from 2007 to 2008

Cloquet up +180 students
Hermantown up + 16 students
Proctor up + 65 students (Proctor is now sending busses into Piedmont and the West End)
Lake Superior down – 35 students
Esko up + 27 students
Wernshall up +5 students

There was one Duluth enrollment figure that was published in an effort I suppose to show that high school students are rushing to East. It was the high school numbers. They weren’t good.

Denfeld down – 68
Central down – 22
East up +24

This seems to bear out our prediction that folks out west will avoid sending their children to schools saturated with minorities and poorer children. Coupled with additional operational cuts this out migration will speed up. The total enrollment loss at our high schools from last year is 66 students. If budget cuts go into effect in the second half of the year following a defeated levy some families may not wait.

About the author