Lincoln Public School sees growing number of students since the pandemic, but it will be a long way to full recovery

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Attendance at Lincoln Public schools ranges from early childhood to twelfth grade, and there are currently 41,784 students enrolled. Although this is only a 37-person increase from the previous year, the newly appointed Superintendent, Dr. Paul Gausman, stated that he is ecstatic to see healthy growth.

According to Gausman, “We actually predicted as part of our budget that we would lose more than 100 students.” [Citation needed]

It has come to the attention of education analysts that the number of students enrolling in public schools is leveling down. In part, this can be attributed to the pandemic, which also played a role in the rise of homeschooling.

According to data provided by the Nebraska Department of Education, the number of students enrolled in Nebraska schools fell by approximately 5,000 during the 2020-2021 academic year. LPS lost 584 students. The state has gained back more over half of those students in the two years that have passed since then, and LPS has gained back around 20% of those students.

Nevertheless, the pandemic is not the sole contributing cause.

“With live birth rate, with coming out of the epidemic, with some of the issues with immigration in the most recent years,” Gausman said. “with some of the challenges with immigration in the most recent years.” “The enrolment in many school districts has reached a plateau,” the author writes.

According to the most recent data that is available from the Lincoln-Lancaster county health department, the city of Lincoln’s live birth rate has decreased from 14.5 births per 1,000 people a year in 2010 to 11.5 births per 1,000 people a year in 2020. The city’s population is still increasing, but the average pace of increase is nearly half of what it was five years ago. This trend has been going on for quite some time.

According to Gauman, this is significant since the number of students enrolled equals the amount of resources.

According to Gausman, “if you are a declining enrollment district, you must understand that it might take fewer people in the future here to serve the number of students we have because it’s a smaller number and so you’re always watching for that challenge that can occur.” “If you are a declining enrollment district, you must understand that it might take fewer people in the future here to serve the number of students we have because it’s a smaller number.” “At this point, we have a large enough district with almost one thousand staff members. People come and depart from our midst on a yearly basis for a variety of reasons, including family commitments, retirement, and other life changes. Therefore, we are able to deal with a level playing field, we are able to deal with a slight fall, and we are able to deal with a slight increase.

10/11 NOW wanted to know how the decrease in enrollment will affect the district’s ability to fill the new schools that it has just completed or will open in the future, such as Ada Robinson Elementary School, Northwest High School, and the soon-to-open Standing Bear High School.

“Everything that you mentioned comes as a result of the growth that has taken place. Will it be the case during the next ten years? “At this point in time, I truly do not know,” Gausman stated.

Gausman did remark that although while it is predicted that the new high schools will have fewer numbers than they were built for to start, they will eventually even out because the district’s long-standing high schools already have a capacity that is greater than what it was designed for.

There are a few additional public school districts in Lancaster County that are witnessing parallel tendencies, but on a more local level. This year, the Norris Public School district saw a decrease of five pupils, while District 145, which includes Waverly and Eagle, saw a decrease of 14 kids.

However, Dr. Cory Worrall, the superintendent of District 145, stated that in part, this drop is part of the strategy for the district.

“We’ve put a little bit of our thumb on option enrollment because of all the construction that is going on, both in Waverly and now even over in Eagle, and then even out into the country,” Worrall said. “This is because of all the construction that is going on, both in Waverly and now even over in Eagle.” “Simply because our consistent expansion is an appropriate amount for us to manage at this juncture.”

This year, District 145 received applications for fewer than thirty percent of the available options. The previous year, they accepted just slightly more than half. Even with relatively low numbers, according to Worrall, it is essential to maintain a close check on how things are progressing numerically.

“That might mean the difference between, we have to open up another part of grade level, or maybe we’re employing another grade level teacher in one of our buildings,” Worrall said. “That might mean the difference between, we have to open up another section of grade level.”

Both public school districts have stated that they are not worried about these patterns at this time; rather, they are just keeping an eye on the situation and are prepared for any growth or decline.

Even private schools are not exempt from these shifts in the educational landscape. A decrease in enrolment of 575 pupils was also seen at the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln between the school years of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, according to data from that organization. According to the preliminary enrollment number for this fall, the school system has only recovered back 28 kids from that reduction in enrolment.

“The epidemic had an effect on us, just as it did on the majority of schools across the country. According to Rev. Lawrence Stoley, the superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Lincoln Diocese, “we are seeing an upsurge in enrolment this year and we are aiming to sustain that trend post-COVID.” “Also, it made us very happy to learn that in the Diocese of Lincoln, which encompasses southern Nebraska from the borders of Iowa to Colorado, forty percent of all Catholic children attend our schools, and that in the city of Lincoln, fifty-three percent of Catholic children attend our parish schools and Pius X High School. We would want to express our gratitude to parents for the unwavering support they have shown in helping Catholic schools realize their purpose.

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