Area school districts expected to see fewer students roaming the halls this year in the face of a declining population trend in southeast Kansas.
For the most part, those expectations played out. The lone exception was in the Humboldt school district, which saw one more student than last year. The Iola school district dropped by about 40 students, and Marmaton Valley decreased by about 10.
An official student headcount was conducted Sept. 20. The state sets that date to determine enrollment numbers at all Kansas districts, and uses the information for funding purposes. Declining enrollment is worrisome for districts because it translates to less money from the state.
Iola – USD 257
Iolas total student count was 1,233, down from last years 1,273. Superintendent Stacey Fager said the district actually did a little better than expected.
The declining enrollment so far hasnt sparked discussions about staff reductions. Currently, elementary schools have about five teachers per grade level. If grade levels drop below 70 students, the district may need to consider whether to reduce the number of teachers. Most grade levels continue to warrant a need for five teachers, with student counts in the 80s. The smallest class is the current third grade, with a total of 75 students.
The districts largest class is 10th grade, with 112 students.
Districts also can look at the oldest and youngest students to gauge future trends. As a district loses students to graduation, its helpful to know whether the size of the incoming kindergarten class can offset the loss.
Last years graduating class of 94 was a little larger than this years senior class, which has 89 students. This years incoming kindergarten class, 83 students, is smaller than last years.
Humboldt – USD 258
Humboldts class sizes seem fairly consistent the past three years, Superintendent Kay Lewis said. The district has 592 students, which is one more than last year. Grade levels typically average between 40 and 45 students, although middle school grades appear to have larger-than-normal classes. The largest class in the district is the sixth grade class, with 56 students.
The smallest class is 10th grade, with 34 students.
The kindergarten class has 41 students and the 12th grade has 43.
Marmaton Valley – USD 256
Marmaton Valleys student count of 261 is about 10 fewer students than last year. The average size class runs between 18-20 students.
