School enrollment down to lowest level since '96-'97

Morganton, NC --

Burke County Public Schools haven’t had so few students since the mid-1990s.
The average daily membership (ADM, the number that determines state financial support) was 13,429 at the end of the first eight weeks this fall. That’s 160 fewer students than at the same point in 2009 — a loss of 1.2 percent.
The downward trend began after Burke County Public Schools reached its highest enrollment, 14,479 in 2002-03.
“It’s declining at a slightly more accelerated rate than in the past,” said Superintendent Art Stellar. “There are a variety of factors — lower birth rate, more people moving out, a few more kids home schooled. The two biggest factors are the birth rate and people moving out.”
Burke County averaged 1,160 births per year when this year’s middle and high school students were born in the 1990s. As they graduate, they will be replaced by students born in years when the county averaged 1,000 births.
The freshman class in Burke County’s high schools has nearly 1,200 students. In kindergarten through third grade this year, each class has fewer than 1,000 students and the smallest, first grade, has less than 870.
School officials expect there will be 154 fewer students in 2011-12, based on trends in enrollment and dropouts.
“It could be more than that,” Stellar said, because they can’t predict how many families will leave Burke County in search of jobs.
The loss hits schools in the pocketbook. Burke County Public Schools this year will receive approximately $5,070 per child from the state and $1,210 from the federal government. Losing 155-160 students could cost $1 million, which equals 20 teachers’ jobs.
Stellar on Oct. 22 imposed a district-wide hiring freeze. The schools will fill absolutely essential positions, but Stellar expects attrition due to retirements and resignations will reduce the staff by about 20 people by year’s end.
He expects more layoffs next year and more school consolidation in the future.

High schools grow

The high schools will be last to feel the effects of lower enrollment. Right now they have more than a year ago. Freedom High School has more than 1,200; Patton, 1,070; East Burke, almost 1,000; and Draughn, slightly more than 780. Burke Middle College is down a little to 117. Hallyburton Academy, the alternative high school formed by consolidating College Street Academy and East ALPS schools, has about 40 fewer students, but its enrollment fluctuates monthly.
The high schools help keep up their numbers by raising graduation rates. Four years ago, one third of the Class of 1997 dropped out before graduating. In the Class of 2010, more than 80 percent graduated on time. Each 5 percent increase in the graduation rate keeps 50-55 more students enrolled in each class.
Each middle school except East Burke Middle, which gained about 20, has 10-30 fewer students. Walter Johnson, the smallest, had the largest loss: 32 students, 6.5 percent of its enrollment.
Seven of the 15 elementary schools have more students, but mostly a handful or less.
“This year’s kindergarten number is a little higher,” Stellar noted. “Last year, everybody expected it to be way down, because of the state’s adjustment in the starting age. This year it is up a little because of that adjustment. It will even out over time.”
Among the eight elementaries with smaller enrollment, Glen Alpine Elementary took the biggest hit. It had nearly 480 students a year ago; today it has 415 — a 13 percent drop.
“Yes, that one jumped out at me as well,” Stellar said. “They moved a class of 20” — 63 incoming kindergarteners replaced 83 graduating fifth graders — “23-25 went to surrounding schools in the district, eight moved out of state and six are being home-schooled. Whatever difference is left could be in New Dimensions.”

Charter school grows

The New Dimensions School at 501 E. Concord is Burke County’s charter school. Director Larry Wilkerson said it had 86 students last year and has 104 now — a 20 percent increase.
“People are hearing good things about our school,” he said. “We’re getting the word out there about the choice we have for students and the programs we have to offer.”
The consolidation of Mountain View and Hillcrest elementary schools in Morganton also helped The New Dimensions School.
“When the two schools merged, we did get some kids from that,” Wilkerson said, “and we turned some away because the grades were full and we weren’t able to take them.”
New Dimensions is a public school, but operates independently of the Burke County Public Schools. The N.C. Department of Public Instruction “caps” charter schools’ enrollment, which means it pays for no more than 102 students at New Dimensions.
The school’s physical size also limits its enrollment, Wilkerson said, and New Dimensions deliberately keeps class sizes small, to 18 or fewer students. It has slots for a few more pupils in second and fifth grades and perhaps one more in kindergarten, but it’s basically full.
Wilkerson said New Dimensions is seeking a bigger building that might allow it to begin adding middle-school grades. If that happens, not all of the students would come from Burke County Public Schools. Wilkerson said New Dimensions draws children from four districts.

Economy hits private schools

Burke County’s two private schools have fewer students this year. Administrators blame the local economy.
Morganton Christian Academy at 201 Believer’s Way serves children from pre-kindergarten age through 12th grade. It started the 2009-10 school year with 65 students and grew to 85 as more parents enrolled pre-K children. This year, Morganton Christian started with 55.
“A lot (of parents) stopped with preschool,” said administrator Dan Qurollo. “The economy is challenging ... and people are unwilling to pay for a private education. People’s priorities are seen when finances are tight.”
In response, the school reduced its fees. Qurollo said it enrolls students year-round. Details are on the school’s website, www.morgantonchristian.com, or parents may call 437-1897.
At Silver Creek Adventist School, 2195 Jamestown Road, principal Wanda Beck said, “We’re down a little.”
The school had 36 students in kindergarten through ninth grade last year. It now has 30. Beck also attributed the loss to the economy.
She hopes more parents will realize that a private school is worth the cost, especially because of the personal attention it pays to each child’s needs.
Silver Creek Adventist also accepts students throughout the year. For details, call 584-3010 or visit www.silvercreekadventistschool.org.

More homeschoolers

Stellar said, “The trend for home schools ... is about the same, not a significant jump.”
The trend is up. Since 2000-01 there are more than twice as many home-schooled students across the state and in Burke County. After hovering in the 600s from 2002 to 2006, the number of Burke homeschoolers jumped above 800 in 2007-08, to 860 in 2008-09 and to 940 in 2009-10, according to the N.C. Division of Non-Public Education.
While Burke County Public Schools’ numbers fell by nearly 1,000 from 2002-03 to 2009-10, the homeschoolers’ numbers went up by 330.
The increase didn’t come entirely from public schools. The same economics that cut parochial schools’ totals may be increasing homeschooling. Two thirds of N.C. home-school programs exist for religious reasons. For cash-strapped parents, homeschooling may be a cost-saving alternative to paying private-school tuition.
However, more parents are choosing home-schooling because they feel they can do a better job than public schools for gifted and special-needs children, said Spencer Mason, president of North Carolinians for Home Education, a statewide support group and lobbying organization for home schools.

(Correction: The years in this chart were inadvertantly reversed in our print edition. The columns below are labeled correctly. We apologize for the error.)

School enrollment

(after 8 weeks)

School enrollment 2010 2009

Chesterfield 227 222

Drexel* 503 535

Forest Hill 446 434

Geo. Hildebrand 379 393

Glen Alpine 415 479

Hildebran 396 391

Mountain Crest** 413 418

Icard 300 294

Mull 320 325