How enrollment rates are fluctuating in all 50 states

About 49.8 million students were enrolled in public schools this fall compared to 50.8 million in 2019.

Some 350,000 new students mean that K12 enrollment rates are recovering but still remain below pre-pandemic levels—2.09% lower, to be precise, according to the latest analysis.

About 49.8 million students were enrolled in public schools this fall compared to 50.8 million in 2019. White students account for 44.5% of this year’s number, a decrease from the more than 50% they accounted for in 2013. The percentage of Black students also dropped, and they now make up less than 15% of K12 enrollment, according to a map produced by Scholaroo, a scholarship-search firm.

The shares of Hispanic and Asian students have, however, been rising over the last decade.


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Here’s how enrollment is changing across the country, starting with the states where it increased the most between 2022 and 2023, according to Scholaroo.

  1. Utah: 1.11%
  2. North Dakota: 1.07%
  3. South Dakota: 0.82%
  4. Minnesota: 0.67%
  5. Tennessee: 0.46%
  6. Arizona: 0.41%
  7. Oklahoma: 0.32%
  8. Alabama: 0.29%
  9. Delaware: 0.28%
  10. South Carolina: 0.23%
  11. Alaska: 0.22%
  12. Idaho: 0.22%
  13. Arkansas: 0.22%
  14. Nebraska: 0.15%
  15. Indiana: 0.07%
  16. North Carolina: 0.04%
  17. Iowa: 0.04%
  18. Ohio: 0.05%
  19. Nevada: 0.06%
  20. Maryland: 0.11%
  21. Pennsylvania: 0.16%
  22. Wyoming: 0.21%
  23. Illinois: 0.23%
  24. Texas: 0.25%
  25. Florida: 0.31%
  26. New Jersey: 0.35%
  27. Oregon: 0.38%
  28. Washington: 0.41%
  29. Louisiana: 0.41%
  30. Massachusetts: 0.43%
  31. Montana: 0.55%
  32. Kentucky: 0.59%
  33. Wisconsin: 0.61%
  34. Michigan: 0.61%
  35. Connecticut: 0.63%
  36. New York: 0.78%
  37. Nebraska: 0.79%
  38. Rhode Island: 0.79%
  39. Maine: 0.82%
  40. Virginia: 0.84%
  41. Colorado: 0.84%
  42. Georgia: 0.88%
  43. Missouri: 1.1%
  44. California: 1.19%
  45. Hawaii: 1.26%
  46. Vermont: 1.33%
  47. New Hampshire: 1.65%
  48. New Mexico: 2.03%
  49. Mississippi: 2.14%
  50. West Virginia: 2.34%
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is a life-long journalist. Prior to writing for District Administration he worked in daily news all over the country, from the NYC suburbs to the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He's also in a band.

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