Colorado’s public school enrollment drops by 30K students

DENVER, Colo. (AP) - Enrollment in Colorado public schools has dropped by about 30,000 students, or 3% this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials say it is the first year-to-year decrease in the state public school system reported in over 30 years.

The Colorado Sun reported that the state Department of Education announced preliminary enrollment figures on Tuesday after students were counted in October.

Officials say some of the state’s 178 school districts suffered 10% enrollment decreases during the academic year.

Some districts cited concerns about district budgets because they are based on student counts. It’s not yet clear if the decline in enrollment is a long-term effect of the pandemic.