Counting students: Stagnant enrollment poses fiscal challenge for schools

The number of students attending Center Grove schools isn’t growing as expected, and the number of students attending other area schools is falling.

Center Grove, which lost about 70 students last year, enrolled more kindergartners than ever before this year and was expecting about 100 additional students overall, Chief Financial Officer Paul Gabriel said.

But on Friday, the district’s enrollment was up by three students.

Center Grove isn’t the only school district seeing enrollment stalled or dropping. Franklin’s enrollment dropped by six students from last year, while Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson schools was down 39 children.

But in Clark-Pleasant, enrollment was up 115 students from last year, business and finance director Steve Sonntag said. While down from the average increase of 309 students the school district saw between 2001 and 2006, the number nearly matches the projection a demographer from Ball State University made last year.

Administrators aren’t sure why their numbers dropped.

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