Andover School Committee To Discuss Enrollment Thursday

ANDOVER, MA — The Andover School Committee will hear a preliminary report on 2021-2022 enrollment Thursday, the first public indication on whether the district has regained the hundreds of students who left the district during the coronavirus pandemic.

From the 2019-2020 school year to 2020-2021, district enrollment dropped by over 300 students to 5,574, the lowest level in years.

Enrollment declines were particularly severe in the youngest grades, with the first-grade class shrinking by almost 100 students. This reflected similar trends across the country, as parents opted for home-schooling, private schools and other options as their local public schools moved to hybrid and remote learning models.

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At Thursday's meeting, initial data will be shared showing whether enrollment rebounded for the current school year, with the district back in a full-time in-person learning model.

Superintendent Magda Parvey will provide a "Preliminary Enrollment Report" to the School Committee Thursday, per the agenda.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday in the School Committee Conference Room and will be broadcast live on AndoverTV.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.