Enrollment in D.C. Public Schools is projected to increase next year for the first time since the early 1970s, due in large part to an influx of the youngest students.
More than 5,200 3- and 4-year-olds are expected to fill public school classrooms in September, up nearly 30 percent from about 4,100 in 2001, according to enrollment figures from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. About 4,700 3- and 4-year-olds attended D.C. public schools this year.
Overall, the school system is projecting about 44,900 students next year, up from 44,700 this year, according to the enrollment audit completed in March by three local nonprofits in collaboration with the schools. Barring the outsized growth among pre-schoolers, enrollment would likely decline by about 400 students.
“There is clearly a demand because enrollment is up all over the city,” said Carrie Thornhill, president and chief executive officer of Pre-K for All D.C. — a driving force behind the city’s Pre-K Expansion and Enhancement Act of 2008.
From Northwest to Southeast, 14 D.C. schools have waiting lists for 3- and 4-year-olds for the first time in their history. Nearly 90 schools offered pre-kindergarten this year (for 4-year-olds), while nearly 70 offered pre-school (for 3-year-olds).
The city has been adding early education classrooms for more than a decade, but the effort gained steam in 2008 with the passage of the politically popular act. The D.C. City Council fully funded it this spring for more than $18 million in fiscal 2011.
Higher grade levels have not seen the dramatic enrollment increases shown in early education. Kindergarteners and fourth- and fifth-grade students are expected to increase enrollment slightly next year, while other grades will likely see a small decline as some parents continue to opt for charter and private schools or move to the suburbs. Overall, however, the system is stabilizing compared to previous years.
Despite declines elsewhere, the enrollment increase in early grades should be proof of a positive trend, said schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
“When we got here there were lots of pre-k classes that weren’t full,” she said. “We now have waiting lists.”
Thornhill concurred: “It says that parents have confidence to enroll their kids in public school,” she said.
