Unpacking Missouri’s Pandemic-Induced Enrollment Changes

COVIDEnrollment
Written By SLU PRiME

By Andrew Diemer, Aaron Seungyoon Park, Evan Rhinesmith

During the 2020-21 school year, public school enrollment across the state of Missouri declined by nearly 30,000 students, representing a 3% decline compared to the 2019-20 school year’s statewide enrollment. In this brief, we examine enrollment changes for the 2020-21 school year, highlighting grades and geographic regions experiencing different changes.

Key Points:

  • The largest drops in enrollment occurred in pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten grades, with nearly a 20% and 10% drop, respectively.

  • Enrollment in grades 8 through 12 increased from 2020 to 2021.

  • Though all regions statewide experienced enrollment declines from 2019-20 to the 2020-21 school year, schools in the St. Louis region experienced the greatest drops.

  • While there have been some rebounds in enrollment, Missouri is still below pre-pandemic levels.

 

Please Cite As: Diemer, A., Park, A., & Rhinesmith, E. (2022). Unpacking Missouri’s Pandemic-Induced Enrollment Changes. Policy Research in Missouri Education, 4(1). Saint Louis University. https://www.sluprime.org/policy-brief-database/mo-covid-enrollment

 
 
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