Declining Enrollment Webinar Series

Declining Enrollment—Strategies for Success During Challenging Times

The continued loss of students for many local educational agencies (LEAs) and future uncertainty require consideration of long-term enrollment trends, and a strategic planning process to align staffing and expenditures to avoid overstaffing. Statewide enrollment trends experienced the fifth consecutive decrease in enrollment in the 2021-22 school year, with a loss of 110,000 (roughly 1.84%) students. In fact, the last time student enrollment was this low was in 1998-99—more than 20 years ago. If current trends hold over the next ten years, further decline of 431,800, or 7.3%, in total enrollment is projected. This webinar series—presented in partnership with the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT)—identifies the many ways that declining enrollment impacts LEA operations and staffing needs, and also identifies strategies for addressing these challenges through reducing personnel and other expenditures, along with resources for making management decisions.