Kent School District enrollment has dropped at most elementary schools and all middle schools this year but increased slightly at each high school.
The district recently released specific numbers for each school based on September 2021 enrollment compared to September 2020.
Elementary schools had a decrease of 673 students across the district, with a drop from 13,493 in 2020 to 12,820 in 2021, according to district documents. Middle school enrollment dropped by 297 students. High school enrollment increased by 69 students.
The overall drop was 901 students, with 24,721 in September 2020 and 23,820 in September 2021, according to district documents. District staff reported at an Oct. 13 Kent School Board meeting a drop of 1,304 students on the first week of school compared to the first week of school in 2020, but indicated that numbers often climb after opening week.
Neely-O’Brien Elementary School had the largest enrollment drop with a loss of 184 students. That decrease, however, was part of the district’s plan to reduce numbers at certain schools with the opening of the new River Ridge Elementary in SeaTac, which has 577 students. Neely-O’Brien dropped from 627 to 443.
Other large decreases at the elementary level included Springbrook (169), Kent Valley Early Learning (143), Meadow Ridge (133), Panther Lake (125) and Millennium (94). A majority of those schools had boundary changes due to the opening of River Ridge.
Elementary schools that gained students included Jenkins Creek and Daniel with increases of 23 students each. Only seven schools had higher enrollments as overall numbers dropped.
At the middle school level, Meeker lost 75 students followed by Mattson (62), Meridian (52), Cedar Heights (38), Northwood (35) and Mill Creek (16).
Kentridge had the largest increase among high schools with a jump of 61 students followed by Kentlake (40), Kent-Meridian (28) and Kentwood (15). The closure of the Kent Phoenix Academy to combine with the Kent Mountain View Academy showed a loss of 210 students, but 130 enrolled in the new Kent Laboratory Academy.
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