Schools

Trenton Student Enrollment Declining

In the past 10 years student enrollment at Trenton Public Schools has consistently declined.

Student count day at revealed a consistent decline in enrollment over the past 10 years.

Since 2001 the school district has had a decline in student enrollment each year with the exception of 2005, which showed the only positive number of new students in the 10-year period, according to district administrators.

District Director of Human Resources Gary Schwartz called the result a lowlight for the district.

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“It's scary if you look at it over 10 years,” Schwartz said. "This is the second year in a row of triple-digit losses.”

In the last year the district is down 111 students from Sept. 2010 to Oct. 2011.

Find out what's happening in Trenton Grosse Ilewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This is a chart tracking student enrollment from fall 2001 to fall 2011:

Fall, Year of:

2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 Elementary 1058 1126 1206 1216 1205 1277 1307 1332 1301 1337 1370 Middle School 685 670 679 664 692 696 764 738 729 702 758 High School 904 962 985 994 1001 1010 1036 1056 1051 1099 1059 District Totals 2647 2758 2870 2874 2898 2983 3107 3126 3081 3138 3187 Change -111 -112 -4 -24 -85 -124 -19 45 -57 -49 -25

Kindergarten enrollment has dropped 29 students in the last year alone and Schwartz said the drop could have a negative impact on the district's future.

“Aside from an infusion of families into the city of Trenton, our future growth does not look bright," Schwartz said.

The results of count day were presented to Trenton School Board members at Monday's board of education meeting.

Board member Carol Oakley recommended district administration look into reasons why enrollment has dropped.

"Is it that we only have this many elementary students in Trenton or are they going somewhere else?" Oakley said.

Schwartz said only about 12 students living in the Trenton school district attend school in other districts such as Riverview, Lincoln Park and Grosse Ile.

He added former Superintendent John Savel has repeatedly asked the Wayne Regional Education Service Agency of Wayne RESA for the identities of the students, but have not received them.

"We don't know who they (the students) are or why they are there (other districts)," Schwartz said.


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