Why Enrollment At Denver Schools Is Lower Than Ever

DENVER, CO -- Denver schools are seeing a significant drop in student enrollment thanks to high housing costs and low birth rates. Schools in the southwest area of the city are those with the biggest drop in enrollment, reported education news site Chalkbeat.

Chalkbeat reported that one school has 50 percent less students than it did 20 years ago. It's a shocking statistic for the "once the fastest growing urban school district in the country," the news site said.

"By 2021, the student population, which stands at 92,686 today, is projected to shrink by nearly 2 percent," Chalkbeat reported. "The elementary school population is expected to decline by an even bigger 7 percent, according to the analysis. And in southwest Denver, the number of elementary school children is forecast to drop a whopping 16 percent, from 9,455 this year to 7,933 in 2021. The region is projected to lose nearly 2,000 students overall in that time period."

The low enrollment number ultimately affects how much funding the schools get, the news site said.

--Photo via Shutterstock