Colorado school enrollment hits decade low. Is declining enrollment an issue in Pueblo?

Editors Note: This story was update on Feb. 5 to include comments from Pueblo County School District 70

Colorado public schools counted a total of 881,464 students in October 2023 — that's the lowest total headcount recorded by the Colorado Department of Education since 2013.

Thanks in part to the passing of Universal Preschool, there were 319 more Colorado pre-kindergarten students in 2023 than there were in 2013. The same can't be said about kindergarten enrollment, which has dropped 12.78% since 2013. Negative 10-year trends also have been recorded for first through seventh grades.

Low enrollment directly impacts a school district's ability to receive state funding. In Colorado, the amount of money that a school district receives from the state is determined by multiplying pupil counts by per pupil funding before imposing other adjustments, according to CDE.

Are enrollment declines in Pueblo as steep as they are statewide? District level data from CDE shows that Pre-K through 12th grade enrollment in Pueblo School District 60 was 11.31% lower in October 2023 than it was five years prior. Year-to-year data shows a 3.05% decline between 2022 and 2023 for Pueblo D60.

"Along with the State, we have seen significant trends adversely affecting student enrollment, particularly within the City of Pueblo," Pueblo D60 wrote in a statement to the Chieftain.

Unlike Pueblo D60, Pueblo County School District 70 has seen its overall enrollment grow 6.2% since October 2018. Year-to-year data from CDE shows a 0.24% increase in Pueblo D70 enrollment between October 2022 and October 2023.

An increasing number of educational options for Pueblo students has made it more difficult to predict enrollment in Pueblo D70, according to a written statement from the district. However, Pueblo D70 does anticipate enrollment declines in the future.

"Despite these challenges, our district remains a performance district, maintaining accreditation since Colorado implemented performance ratings in 2009, which makes our district a great place for students to learn and excel," according to the Pueblo D70 statement.

What factors can be attributed to enrollment drops in Pueblo D60?

Pueblo D60's statement highlighted two factors directly impacting the district's enrollment numbers — a lack of growth within Pueblo D60 boundaries and declining birth rates.

"Our community's growth is nearly stagnant, with an aging population that is not within child-bearing years," the statement reads. "Additionally, younger adults are delaying the opportunity to have children and tend to have fewer as compared to previous decades."

About 18.3% of the residents within the city of Pueblo are over 65 years old, according to the United States Census Bureau. For comparison, seniors account for 15.7% of Colorado's population and 17.3% of the nation.

There's also an average of 2.33 persons per household in the city, according to census data recorded between 2018 and 2022. This persons per household average in Pueblo is slightly lower than both state and national averages.

While it may not be the primary reason for Pueblo D60's enrollment decline, nor Pueblo D70's enrollment growth, school choice has allowed for a significant number of students living in Pueblo D60 students to attend Pueblo D70 schools.

Over 1,900 students counted by Pueblo D70 schools in October 2023 had parents that live in Pueblo D60 boundaries, according to CDE data. Conversely, 417 Pueblo D60 students counted in October 2023 had parents living in Pueblo D70 boundaries.

Pueblo D60 is hopeful, however, that certain initiatives have slowed enrollment declines. Such initiatives include the addition of Dutch Clark Digital Online at Paragon, the construction of five new schools in 2023 and additional career and technical Education programs, according to the district's statement.

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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Is public school enrollment declining in Pueblo? Here's what to know