Colorado’s student count across all 178 school districts has plummeted to its lowest point in a decade, with the state tallying 1,800 fewer students last fall than in 2022, according to data released Wednesday morning by the state education department.
The most recent dip — a 0.2% decline — is not as dramatic as the hit enrollment took during the last school year, when the state reported a drop of 3,253 students, a 0.37% decrease from the year before. But it accelerates a trend of dwindling school populations that emerged across much of the state and country during the pandemic and is poised to reshape how schools operate.
Enrollment in preschool through 12th grade totaled 881,464 students during the state’s annual count in October, with the biggest enrollment drops among its youngest students. The number of kids in preschool, kindergarten and first grade fell by 3,691 kids from 2022 after those same grades experienced a similar decrease the previous school year, state data shows.
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