In a concerning trend impacting students nationwide, the decline in public school enrollment and the rise in chronic absenteeism have become subjects of great interest across Oregon and the broader United States. Factors contributing to this shift are multifaceted, with the COVID-19 pandemic playing a pivotal role. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), American public schools experienced a notable drop in enrollment, falling from 50.8 million to 49.4 million students between the fall of 2019 and 2020, with high-poverty areas and urban centers being disproportionately affected.
Beyond the pandemic’s initial impact, a recent Brookings Institute study revealed substantial declines in public school enrollment during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, indicating a significant departure from the pre-pandemic era. Approximately 12% of public elementary schools and 9% of middle schools experienced enrollment declines between the school years of 2018-19 and 2021-22, suggesting a marked change from previous trends.
Chronic absenteeism has also surged, more than doubling from 26% during the 2017-2018 school year to 66% in 2021-2022, as reported by the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University and Attendance Works. This concerning trend persisted into the 2022-2023 school year, indicating that habits formed during the pandemic have endured. Although some improvement was observed in the most recent school year, with the chronic absenteeism rate dropping to 27.8%, there remains a notable challenge in reestablishing consistent attendance patterns.
Homeschooling has witnessed a remarkable increase in popularity, crossing political, geographical, and demographic lines. The surge is exemplified by a 373% increase in homeschooled students over the past six years in Anderson, South Carolina, and a 358% increase in a Bronx school district. Charter schools, funded with public money, have seen a substantial rise in enrollment, more than doubling from 1.8 million to 3.7 million students between 2010 and 2021. Conversely, traditional public schools experienced a 4% decrease, losing 2.0 million students during the same period. Private school enrollment saw a modest increase from 4.65 million to 4.73 million students during the 2021-22 school year.
While these statistics reflect shifts in educational choices, the reasons behind the exodus from traditional public schools remain unclear, and the issue of chronic absenteeism continues to pose a challenge for educators and policymakers alike. Beyond the quantitative data, the increasing number of students not attending classes regularly raises questions about the broader implications for the state of Oregon’s education system.
