In other cases? There might be something you can do about it.
School districts across the country are dealing with the challenge of declining student enrollment coupled with increased competition from other schools — private and public. So, it’s important to understand what you can control as a district.
Open enrollment is a program that allows families to enroll their children in a public school outside of their assigned school district boundaries, based on available space and eligibility. It can provide parents with the flexibility to choose a school that best fits their child’s academic, social, or extracurricular needs, but also creates competition among districts, making it essential for schools to understand why families choose to leave or stay.
When enrollment drops, so does funding, especially because education budgets are tied to student counts. This financial strain forces districts to make difficult decisions: consolidating schools, cutting programs, reducing staff, or delaying facility upgrades. Beyond the numbers, declining enrollment also affects school culture, extracurricular offerings, and student experiences.
Many of the reasons for declining enrollment are out of your hands: you can’t change lower birth rates, economic challenges, and aging populations. And while you can’t control your state’s policies on school choice, analyzing your open enrollment population can provide an opportunity for learning, growth, and community partnership.
That understanding can help school leaders re-evaluate how they serve their communities, improve communication with families, and strengthen the programs that make their schools stand out.
Our open enrollment survey is one way to do this work, reaching out to every family that’s open enrolling out of your district to help you identify themes about why they’re leaving and understand what you can control – and, just as importantly, what you can’t.
For example, in a couple of recent surveys, themes like bullying/discipline/safety concerns, poor community perception of the District, and teacher performance/methods were among the top reasons parents reported for open enrolling out.
Strategic planning, community engagement, and innovation are key to staying resilient in the face of change. For districts that have students leaving their schools through open enrollment, listening to families, especially those who have left, is essential. Understanding why students are leaving can help find solutions that bring them back.
The School Perceptions Resource Center features the voices of our team members. This post was written by Beverly Zukowski, Project Manager.