Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Enrollment

According to the Post Gazette, PPS K-12 enrollment as of October 6 is reported to be 26,123, only a 2% drop from last year's enrollment.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09293/1006841-298.stm

However, a spreadsheet adding the numbers for each school as reported by the Pittsburgh Board of Ed website on October 1, 2009 shows 25,769 and that includes preK students attending school in a PPS building. Last year the number of preK students in PPS buildings was well over 1,000, suggesting total K-12 enrollment of less than 25,000.

The number of K-12 students in PPS should be equal to the sum of the number of students in each Pittsburgh public school, less the number of preK students, so why aren't the numbers matching up? Any ideas?

School
Enrollment
IB 6-12
624
Alderdice
1372
Allegheny 6-8
311
Allegheny K-5
469
Arlington Pre K-8
425
Arsenal 6-8
308
Arsenal Pre K-5
238
Banksville Pre K-5
240
Beechview Pre K-5
357
Brashear
1204
Brookline K-8
558
CAPA 6-12
558
Carmalt Pre K-8
552
Carrick
866
Classical 6-8
324
Colfax K-8
683
Concord K-5
327
Conroy
156
Dilworth Pre K-5
380
Faison Pre K-8
705
Fort Pitt Pre K-5
218
Fulton Pre K-5
319
Grandview K-5
292
Grennfield K-8
403
King Pre K-8
541
Langley
469
Liberty K-5
404
Lincoln K-8
518
Linden K-5
406
Manchester Pre K-8
245
McNaugher
123
Mifflin Pre K-8
396
Miller Pre K-5
177
Milliones 6-12
407
Minadea Pre K-5
519
Montessori Pre K-8
350
Morrow Pre K-5
389
Murray Pre K-5
327
Northview Pre K-5
305
Oliver
457
Peabody
465
Perry
774
Phillips K-5
299
Pioneer
78
Rooney 6-8
165
Roosevelt Pre K-5
484
Schaefer K-8
362
Schenley
407
Schiller 6-8
218
Sci Tech
250
South Brook 6-8
408
South Hills 6-8
488
Spring Hill K-5
265
Sterret 6-8
377
Stevens K-8
335
Student Ach Ctr
245
Sunnyside K-8
357
Vann Pre K-5
175
Weil Pre K-8
256
West Liberty K-5
280
Westinghouse
327
Westwood K-8
336
Whitier K-5
269
Woolslair K-5
227
==========
25769

2 comments:

Questioner said...

Numbers do not match up due to the way information is presented on the Board of Ed website. In the school information sections, schools that are labeled as "PreK through 5" actually give numbers only for K through 5. In addition, the district's figures for PPS students add back numbers for students attending non-PPS programs such as Clayton/CEP and Mercy Behavioral Health.

The numbers now make sense. Last year, unlike the year before that, did not bring unpopular changes affecting large numbers of students. While we have not brought back those students lost, this year's enrollment decline is in line with the small percentage decline in population.

The enrollment figure does call into question the projections made in connection with the facilities study. For the 2009-10 school year a 3.5 % decline had been projected, 150% greater than the actual decline. As we have stated many times, if the right steps are taken it should be possible not only to hold the enrollment decline in line with small declines in population but actually bring the percentage of school age city residents attending PPS closer to the 80% figure attending earlier in the decade than the current 60% figure.

The fact that this year's percentage enrollment decline did not exceed the percentage population decline should not be taken as a reason to decline input from families and community members.

Questioner said...

Also looking back at the facilities consultant's projections, which take into account birth rates in recent years as well as the Pittsburgh Promise, kindergarten enrollment was projected to increase to 2173- so the actual increase was about half of the projected increase.