The number of students enrolled in Anchorage School District schools has decreased, according to the district’s updated enrollment figures as of Sept. 5. That includes correspondence school students who don’t use school buildings.
Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt announced in April that it’s past time to close some campuses and consolidate, as the working-age population of the city has declined by more than 17,000 residents, or 8.5% over the last decade, and the student enrollment has declined by nearly 10%. He said in the spring that he would gather community input and that decisions would have to be made this fall.
In 2002, 50,055 students attended Anchorage public schools. By 2010, the district had just under 50,000 students. Last year during the official count released in October, the enrollment had fallen to about 43,370 students.
So far this year, the shrinkage appears to be continuing at to 42,353, with a further drop to 37,000 predicted by 2027.
This year’s enrollment number will not be official until October’s annual formal count.
On top of an outmigration problem balanced somewhat by an increase in the homeless population, birth rates in Anchorage have sagged.
In 2004, some 10,336 babies were born in Anchorage. In 2022, that dropped to 9,410 babies born. Granted, births in Anchorage may be from moms and dads in other parts of the state, but a drop is still relevant to school management and forecasting.
The disappearance of babies, while not appearing dramatic on the surface, is already the equivalent of three elementary schools.
The State of Alaska says the overall fertility rate in Anchorage has gone from 72.4 per 1,000 women in 2004 to 64.3 in 2021, the last year the state has published its estimates. That is more than an 11% drop in fertility.
However, in the discussion of population outmigration and student enrollment’s falling numbers, there are population collapse deniers.
The chairman of the Anchorage Assembly says “marginal loss of population in Anchorage is wholly driven by JBER personnel decisions. Otherwise, Anchorage is growing.”
Denial by city leaders doesn’t negate the fact that 70% of Alaska’s 30 boroughs and census areas lost population over recent years. Meanwhile, unlike what Constant supposes, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson has seen no significant force reductions, although the Obama Administration had planned for such reductions in 2014. The Obama military slashing plan for JBER was halted in large part by efforts of Sen. Dan Sullivan in 2016; he was elected to the U.S. Senate two years earlier and made protection of military strength in Alaska a priority.
Anchorage had nearly 294,000 people in 2010, and the latest estimate is 289,653. Current population estimates can be found at the State of Alaska website here.
Since Bryantt took over the schools in 2022, he has been trying to right-size the footprint of the campuses, but has been met with resistance. While in 2022 he said six elementary schools need to be closed, the board caved to complaints from the public and only agreed to close Abbott Elementary School. But in reality, Abbott Elementary is still a school district facility serving as Alaska Native Cultural Charter School.
Meanwhile, the MatSu School District to the immediate north of Anchorage has grown to 19,705 students.
Fairbanks has 12,331 enrolled, having lost 1,300 students since 2015.
If one of those sperm falls to the earth it will mess up God’s whole plan.
Chris Constant is NOT the sharpest tool in the shed and loves to make up his own facts when ever the need arises.
Birth rates drop for reasons of economy and satisfaction with the living conditions of a community.
In other words, liberal taxation and woke culture are the major contributors.
Christopher Constantly-On-The-Wrong-Side knows this but would never admit it.
Many parents do not want their children schooled in a system that teaches them they are bad for being White and that trans and lgbtqrstuv are to be worshiped and “welcomed.”
It’s not rocket science but since liberals (marxists) would not know truth if it smacked them upside their well deserving heads, they will be forever stuck in their fantasy world.
With the national ranking of next to last and the curriculum taught that’s doesn’t prep for the real world the smart parents are home schooling.
This is what our great school district helped create but remember “it’s for the kids”.
I’ll wager we have not seen similar decreases in the administrative staff….
The decline in population was projected back in the 1990’s. I sat in on a panel back and it was projected then. It’s sad that ASD didn’t plan ahead, but I guess denial is their way of solving the problem. My big question is what happens to the bond money that ASD swindled out of the voters last year??????????
Here’s an idea:
if Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt thinks he’s doing a great job how about we tie his salary to the student GPA
Here’s a scary thought. Since in reality he doesn’t work for the students of Anchorage, he very well may be doing a good job in the eyes of his taskmasters.
The muni powers that be, along with the overwhelming incompetence of the school board, and the will of the unions…they are getting the results they want.
you didn’t think any of this was actually about educating students, did you?
The only things growing in Anchorage are:
debt
taxes
homeless
drug abuse
Socialism.
Blaming this mess of JBER is like blaming the Easter Bunny for high pollen counts.
Anchorage, are you ever gonna get tired of electing idiots?
In a sane world dropping school enrollment of 8.5% would result in a comparable reduction in the school budget, or at least, no further growth in school funding, but we no longer live in a sane world.
So here’s a couple of questions: Where’s my tax refund? Why hasn’t the education budget decreased to align with the decrease in population? Oh never mind, leftists are not known for their math skills.