2015 enrollment grows after many declining years
Student enrollment in Eugene School District 4J increased this fall for the first time in many years.
District enrollment has been trending generally downward since its peak of nearly 22,000 students in 1969, to a low of 16,006 students in 2014–15.
In a change from the usual pattern, 217 more students enrolled in 4J schools this fall than last year. This is the first year-to-year enrollment increase since 2003 and the largest growth since 1996.
Stronger enrollment in new full-day kindergarten programs and transfer students from other districts account for most of the increase.
- High-quality full-day kindergarten is more attractive to many families. About one-third of the growth is an increase in the number of students enrolled in full-day kindergarten, new to 4J schools this year.
- 4J schools are attracting more families to enroll, from both inside and outside of the district. Nearly half of the growth is an increase in the number of non-resident transfer students enrolled in 4J schools compared with last year.
The district has provided extra curriculum materials and adjusted staffing at several schools to respond to the higher-than-projected enrollment and shrink overlarge class sizes.
