SAD 1 enrollment drops
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
PRESQUE ISLE – The region’s unstable economy is causing some parents to look for jobs elsewhere, and that trend is having an impact on SAD 1 enrollment.
At the Sept. 15 board meeting, Superintendent Gehrig Johnson informed directors that as of Sept. 13, there were 1,899 students attending SAD 1 schools.
“We’ve lost 107 students from this same time last year which is about 5 percent,” he said. “That’s a larger percentage drop than we’ve seen in recent years. We’ve been averaging a decline of about 1.5-2 percent, or 20-35 students, a year since the early 1980s.
“The decrease is spread out across virtually all grade levels,” Johnson said. “With a few exceptions, the decrease is relatively consistent.”
The number of students moving from kindergarten to first grade has seen a decrease of seven children from a year ago, grade 1 to 2 saw a drop of eight students, grade 2 to 3 is down three students, grade 3 to 4 is down five students, and grade 4 to 5 experienced a decrease of seven kids.
Subsequently, grade 5 to 6 is down only one student, and grade 6 to 7 is minus five. The number of students entering eighth grade increased by three, grade 8 to 9 is up two, and then the downward trend begins again. Students going from grade 9 to 10 dropped significantly with a loss of 23, grade 10 to 11 is down eight, and grade 11 to 12 has 19 fewer students.
“The downward spikes at grade 10 and grade 12 are due – in large part – to student credit totals,” said Johnson. “There are freshmen who are enrolled, but do not have enough credits to be classified as grade 10 students. The same is true for some juniors. They don’t quite have senior standing which affects class enrollment numbers.”
Enrollment data by schools show that Mapleton Elementary School has seen a decrease of five students, Pine Street Elementary School is down 41 students from a year ago, Zippel Elementary School is down nine students, Presque Isle Middle School has dropped 15 students, and enrollment at Presque Isle High School has decreased by 38 students.
“Basically this is a snapshot of the enrollment on Sept. 13,” the superintendent said, “but the numbers change every day.”
In the last year, SAD 1 has enrolled over 200 children, but “a larger number” of the students have transferred out of the district.
“The majority of them have left Aroostook, but remain in the state,” Johnson said. “The students and their families have relocated to southern Maine.”
Presently, there are 547 students enrolled at PIHS, 425 at PIMS, 207 at Mapleton, 316 at Pine Street, 340 at Zippel, and 64 at the Learning Center.
There are also 64 children enrolled in the district’s pre-kindergarten program.
Overall, enrollment has been declining over the last several years.
In 1995, 2,291 students were enrolled in the district; 2,230 in 2000; and 2,093 in 2005.
The district has eliminated 29 positions in the past year in response to budget constraints, as well as enrollment decline.
“We plan to follow enrollment trends closely as we move forward,” said Johnson.
Enrollment data will again be collected Oct. 1.
The next SAD 1 board meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 at Mapleton Elementary School.
