School enrollment decline persists despite return to classrooms

Enrollment has dropped slightly in New Hampshire public schools this year, continuing a years-long trend that appears to have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the 2020-2021 school year to this fall, the number of students in New Hampshire public schools fell from 160,715 to 159,334, according to numbers released by the Department of Education last week.

That change is a slight decrease from the prior year, but one that perpetuates a bigger drop after the onset of COVID-19 two years ago. And its causes are up for interpretation: Some have pointed to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which shuttered schools and saddled many families with additional pressure at home. Others say an interest in education opportunities outside public education has contributed. Still others say the root causes are broader demographic changes that predate the virus entirely.

Either way, the latest numbers are clear: From the school year leading into pandemic to the 2020-2021 school year, enrollment dipped from 167,284 to 160,715, a decrease of 6,569, or 3.9 percent. For the five years previous to that, enrollment across the state hovered closer to 170,000, decreasing slightly every year.

Read more: https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2021/11/24/school-enrollment-decline-persists-despite-return-to-classrooms/