Navigating Declining Enrollment

How smarter state policies can help schools thrive

Declining student enrollment poses unique challenges for school districts. It increases budget pressures in our already underfunded public schools. As pressures from declining enrollments grow, districts will increasingly face difficult decisions whether to close schools, which may harm local
communities.

Despite North Carolina’s growing population, most school districts are experiencing enrollment
loss. These trends—and the associated challenges—are partly due to demographic shifts. But they are also the product of state-level policy decisions. Both factors indicate that declining
enrollment will be an increasingly significant issue facing our public schools over the coming years.

This report seeks to explore the causes of declining enrollment in North Carolina’s traditional
public schools. It documents which counties are facing the greatest challenges due to declining enrollment. It provides state leaders with policy recommendations to help stem the tide of
declining enrollment and to better assist school districts. Finally, the report seeks to help local school leaders navigate how to minimize the harm from school closures.

Declining enrollment will never be easy to navigate. However, many of the challenges we
are facing are the result of deliberate policy choices. With better investments and policies,
we can help reverse these trends, or at the very least, minimize their negative impacts on
students.