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The Cashton School District reported 21 more students in its classrooms, an increase of 4 percent to 544. In 2007, Cashton reported the largest percentage increase in the region, 6.5 percent, when it gained 32 students.
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Superintendent Brad Saron said Cashton projected an increase of students and is pleased to be “slowly” growing.
“We offer great services here to kids” and focus on science, technology and math as well as literacy, Saron said.
Throughout the Coulee Region, public school enrollments showed a general trend upward, with 17 districts gaining students and 10 reporting declining enrollment.
In the 27 districts surveyed in La Crosse, Crawford, Jackson, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon counties in western Wisconsin, the total student population climbed 85 students from 37,410 to 37,495. It also was higher than the 2006-07 total of 37,213.
The state requires that Wisconsin public schools record enrollment on the third Friday of September. These “third Friday” numbers then are used to calculate state aid and the amount each district can levy under the state revenue cap.
The North Crawford School District has watched its enrollment decline by more than 200 students in the past 10 years. But after three years of numbers staying about the same, Superintendent Dan Davies sees
a new trend for the district: stability.
The school district, based in Soldiers Grove, posted an increase of 3.1 percent this year, gaining 15 students for a total enrollment of 494.
It’s a long way from the 698 students the district reported for 1998-99, but Davies said the last three years have been promising.
“It appears that there is a pattern of some stabilization in our enrollment,” he said. “I can’t specify whether it is going to continue or what will happen in future years, but I know we were very pleased.”
Davies couldn’t pinpoint why the decline has stopped, but “one would hope that people have been (interested) in the programming that we offer,” he said.
The district also has run ads in area newspapers to attract families to North Crawford.
“We really have some excellent staff members and teachers that are providing just an outstanding program,” Davies said. “We have a tremendous fine arts program, and I guess it goes back to a little motto we like to use around here: ‘Large school options, small school values.’”
While La Crosse School District enrollment dipped by 52 students this fall, officials are optimistic about growth reported in the elementary grades.
“It’s a concern anytime a school district sees a decline in enrollment, but sometimes the numbers point us to trends,” said Randy Nelson, associate superintendent of instruction.
La Crosse’s elementary school enrollment grew by 35 students — or 1.1 percent — to 3,298 this year. The second grade is the largest at the elementary level with 518 pupils, 85 more than last year.
Superintendent Jerry Kember said the figures fit a consultant’s stabilization projections for the district.
The 46 fewer students at the middle schools and 41 fewer at the high schools were to be expected, Kember said, considering the district had several past years of low elementary school enrollment.
“It takes five to six years for that lower population to get there and move through,” he said.
Overall, the district’s enrollment this fall is 7,088, down 0.7 percent from 7,140 students in fall 2007.
The largest drop among area districts came in Tomah, which lost 67 students from the 2006-07 school year.
Black River Falls had the biggest increase in student numbers, with 109 more pupils showing up for classes this fall.
Tomah officials were hard pressed to explain the decrease, but Black River Falls attributed its gain to starting a kindergarten program for 4-year-olds.
Jill Collins, business services director for Black River Falls schools, said 111 students enrolled in the program for 4-year-olds. They will be counted as 55 full-time enrollees for budgeting purposes, she said.
Tomah expected stable growth of 15 to 20 students and was surprised when their enrollment dipped by 67, Superintendent Bob Fasbender said. “Hopefully, this is a blip on the map,” Fasbender said.
The school district may have to cut its budget by a minimum of $150,000 to come in under revenue limits and will be looking for savings districtwide, Fasbender said. There are no plans to cut staff or programming.
Increased summer school enrollment may have helped the district’s overall FTE number for calculating revenue limits, he said.
The largest percentage loss was in the Hillsboro School District in eastern Vernon County, which had 24 fewer students this year, a decline of more than 4 percent, to drop to 557.
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau had the largest percentage gain at 6.4 percent, or 87 more students, for a total enrollment of 1,447.
Like Black River Falls, G-E-T started a kindergarten program for 4-year-old this school year, with 82 enrolled.
The Holmen School District, one of the fastest-growing in the region in the past, reported 41 additional students this school year, a 1.1 percent increase that brought the district’s enrollment to 3,637.
The Onalaska School District lost 32 students, or 1.1 percent, and has an enrollment of 2,939 for 2008-09.
