ECASD kindergarten enrollment dropped by 4.5% this school year

EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - In hopes of getting more in-person instruction, parents around the country have pulled their children out of public school, causing a drop in kindergarten enrollment, and the Eau Claire Area School District is facing a similar problem.

Director of Assessment for the district Michelle Radtke said they've seen a 4.5% decrease in kindergarten enrollment for the district, with 775 kindergarteners enrolled this school year versus 812 last year.

Radtke said parents did not give specific reasons as to why they pulled their children from the district, but officials do know the majority of students who left opted for homeschool and the second-largest amount turned to private schools.

But Radtke said they are hoping to bring them back.

"We're targeting those students that did leave us and we're sending communications out to them that they were once enrolled with us and are no longer enrolled. We are targeting them for our summer school programs to give them a chance to participate in that way also," Radtke said.

Radtke added the district did have steady enrollment for the last five to 10 years.

According to a report from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the kindergarten headcount for the state declined by 4.9% in September 2020.