Loudoun County is among several Virginia school divisions and counties to record drops in public school enrollment amid controversies, which took center stage in this year’s elections, and the coronavirus pandemic.
The data, which were released by the Virginia Department of Education, showed a decrease of 2,422 students, or 2.9%, enrolled in the public schools in the Northern Virginia county between the 2019 and 2021 fall semesters, Virginia Mercury reported.
Other counties and school divisions that were reported to have drastic decreases in public school enrollment included Fairfax, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Prince William, according to the data. Fairfax, the largest school division in the state, recorded a decrease of 10,295 students, or 5.4%, between the 2019 and 2021 fall semesters, while Prince William, the second-largest school district, saw a 2.3% loss, or 2,135 students.
“We anticipated that there would be declines in enrollment and that it would not be a one-year phenomenon,” said Charles Pyle, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Education.
Drops in enrollment can have consequences, such as a loss in state funding. Loudoun is expected to lose out on $7 million in fiscal 2022, according to Loudoun Now.
Pyle attributed the decrease in enrollment numbers to the coronavirus pandemic, stating that the numbers will “change” as parents become more comfortable with in-person learning and more children get vaccinated.
During the past couple of years in Loudoun, there have also been controversies that have involved critical race theory, school board fights, and an alleged cover-up of sexual assaults.
Other counties have also had their fair share of scandals, including a national controversy in Fairfax concerning books. Following an internal review, officials announced this month the reinstatement of two books containing pornographic content in high school libraries.
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Overall, school districts and counties throughout the state lost 46,113 students, a 3.6% loss in public school enrollment, the VDOE data showed.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the VDOE for comment.
