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Utah K–12 Enrollment Falls 1.7% to 656,311 in Third Straight Drop

The decline threatens district budgets because state appropriations are tied to per-student counts.

Overview

  • State data show a year-over-year loss of 11,478 students to 656,311, the largest one-year decline in at least 25 years.
  • Fourteen of the 15 biggest districts shrank by more than 1%, with Salt Lake City, Granite and Washington County each down 4.5%, while Beaver and Tooele were the only districts to grow by over 1%.
  • Charter enrollment grew 3.6% to 13% of public students, but the trend was uneven with 49 charters up and 44 down by at least 1%.
  • The share of students needing specialized services continues to rise, including 89,893 students with disabilities (14%) and 58,419 English learners (9%).
  • Funding losses are spurring consolidation moves, with Granite studying two more elementary closures after 10 in recent years as local reporting warns of more cuts and potential layoffs.