Superintendent Jose Dotres said the sharp attendance decline (from 326,279 last year to 313,220) was a result of the significant decrease in the number of newly arriving immigrants from other countries, declining birth rates, and potentially families leaving for more affordable places as Miami-Dade becomes increasingly expensive.
According to the district’s data, this year’s numbers tell a story of immigrant families avoiding Florida altogether: the number of newly arrived students from abroad fell by more than 5,300 this year, plummeting from 7,193 last year to just 1,847 this year.
This year, there were also 2,000 fewer Kindergarten students (attributed to declining birth rates) and 647 fewer students because they withdrew from public schools to enroll in private schools.
Read more at Miami Herald.
