'Big Drop' in Enrollment Continues Declining School Numbers

Hampton school officials say they were "surprised" to learn that kindergarten enrollment has dropped by roughly 20 percent over the past few months, especially since overall kindergarten enrollment has decreased each of the last three years and is at its lower point since 2007-2008.

District Superintendent Kathleen Murphy said the anticipated 2013-2014 kindergarten enrollment is expected to be about 100 students, a "big drop" from the 124, 135 and 150 students Hampton had in the previous three school years. Projections earlier this year pegged the upcoming school year's enrollment somewhere around 124 pupils.

The number of kindergarten classes, and therefore kindergarten positions, at Centre School has been reduced from eight to seven to compensate for this decrease, which Murphy said is something she and her staff are concerned about due to the potential for it to create a ripple-like effect on future grade levels.

That said, Murphy said she doesn't expect the number of kindergarten students to continue to drop each year, as new housing developments in a community she said is "wonderful" for and "focused on" families should soon help stabilize enrollment.

"I think it’s a blip," said Murphy. "I think we'll see those numbers come back a little bit."

Overall, Hampton School District enrollment is down by 59 students this upcoming year to an anticipated total enrollment of 1,165, according to Murphy.

Statewide kindergarten enrollment has also been down every year since 2009-2010, although kindergarten enrollment in North Hampton, Seabrook and Exeter has gone up over the past couple of years, according to the New Hampshire Department of Education.

[Editor's note: NHDoE doesn't yet have complete projections for 2013-2014, so it's unknown at this time whether the statewide trend will continue for another year.]

Murphy said the economy is a likely answer for why kindergarten enrollment — which had this year's biggest single-grade enrollment drop in Hampton — has gone down, as the birth year of this year's kindergarteners coincides with one of the most difficult of the recent recession.

Parents may have opted to have fewer children due to monetary hardships and "very difficult" financial times, according to Murphy, who also said an improving economy could allow more parents to financially support the costs of additional children.

Murphy said the "best way" for Hampton to "deal with this right now," though, since "so many factors affect" the number of babies being born and the number of students coming into the district, is to look at what the district needs and to focus on the resources they "need to provide to students" rather than fully analyze all of the possible causes.

One way Hampton has dealt with the problem is by reducing the number of kindergarten classes, although they were able to do it without having to fire a teacher. Murphy said the retirement of one first grade teacher allowed administrators to move a kindergarten teacher up a grade, thus filling an opening without hiring a new person while simultaneously cutting a position without eliminating a member of the staff.

Staffing changes may be necessitated in future years due to this year's enrollment drop, although Murphy said it's too soon to know anything concrete about the 2014-2015 school year.

"I'm not sure," said Murphy. "I don’t know what to say. We'll certainly pay attention to it. We’ll be submitting all of our data [used to formulate enrollment projections], and hopefully we'll have that and work on that come September."

The first day of school for the Hampton School District is Monday, Aug. 26. More information about the start of school can be found here, while additional information about the start of school and other local school changes will be outlined in forthcoming articles.