PROGRAM VIABILITY

 

 

 

 

This webpage provides an overview of the financial sustainability of District school programs. It is a helpful starting point to explore if District schools have enough students enrolled to support a viable and vibrant teaching and learning environment.

 

K-8 PROGRAM VIABILITY: CITYWIDE SUMMARY

 

District K-8 schools with at least 360 students are more likely to have the resources to sustain the baseline desired teaching and learning experience. This minimum enrollment target is the equivalent of about 20 students per class with two classes for each grade level from kindergarten to 8th grade.

Ideally, District K-8 schools would enroll closer to 450 students, or about 25 students per class with two classes for each grade level, allowing for funding necessary for a more vibrant and viable school program.

 

District K-8 Schools with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 360 Students

  • 51% of District K-8 schools are below the minimum enrollment target of 360 students. Only 22% of District K-8 schools meet the desired enrollment level of 450 students.
  • Two-thirds of schools below the minimum target are located in regions that are forecast to have declining enrollment, suggesting those schools will continue to struggle to achieve viable enrollment levels.
graph showing enrollment in k8 buildings above 360 students, West 71%, Nearwest 64%, Southwest 63%, Sourtheast 62%, East 33% and Northeast 19%.
Note: Enrollment in Pre-K programs is not part of this metric due to the different
funding pathways associated with pre-K students
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data for grades K-8

 

 

K-8 PROGRAM VIABILITY: SUMMARY BY REGION

Northeast

District K-8 Schools in the Northeast Region with 2017-18 enrollment above 360 students
Program Viability in the Northeast region, relavant facts in bullet points
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data for grades K-8
 
  • Only 19% of District K-8 schools are above the minimum enrollment target of 360 students, by far the lowest of any region. None of the schools in the region meet the desired enrollment of 450 students.
  • Nearly half of District K-8 schools in the region have experienced a negative enrollment trend over the last five years and only one school has a positive enrollment trend.
  • Regional enrollment has declined by 8.4% since 2013 and is forecast to decline another 8.6% by 2022-23, both the largest declines of any region. These trends suggest it will continue to be hard for all schools in the region to achieve even minimum enrollment targets.

East

District K-8 Schools in the East Region with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 360 Students
Program Viability in the East region, relavant facts in bullet points
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data for grades K-8
 
  • 33% of District K-8 schools are above the minimum sustainability target of 360 students, the second lowest rate of any region. Two of the nine schools in the region meet the desired enrollment size of 450 students.
  • Charter closures in the area in recent years have allowed most District schools in the region to maintain or increase enrollment, with only one District K-8 school experiencing a negative enrollment trend over the last five years.

Southeast

District K-8 Schools in the Southeast Region with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 360 Students
Program Viability in the Southeast region, relavant facts in bullet points
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data for grades K-8
 
  • 62% of District K-8 schools are above the minimum sustainability target of 360 students, but only three of 13 regional schools meet the desired size of 450 students.
  • 54% of District K-8 schools in the region have experienced a negative enrollment trend over the last five years.

Near West

District K-8 Schools in the Near West Region with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 360 Students
Program Viability in the Near West region, relavant facts in bullet points
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data for grades K-8
 
  • 64% of District K-8 schools are above the minimum sustainability target of 360 students, with 36% achieving the desired enrollment of 450.
  • All but one school in this region have experienced steady or increasing enrollment over the last five years, driven largely by out-of-region students choosing Near West schools.
  • Despite school-level enrollment trends, regional enrollment is forecast to decline 7.9% by 2022-23, suggesting that additional schools may have viability risks in the future.

West

District K-8 Schools in the West Region with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 360 Students
Program Viability in the West region, relavant facts in bullet points
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data for grades K-8
 
  • 71% of District K-8 schools are above the minimum sustainability target of 360 students, which is the highest rate of any region. Three of the seven regional schools meeting the desired enrollment threshold of 450 students.
  • Most schools in the region (five of the seven) have experienced a steady or positive enrollment trend over the last five years.

Southwest

District K-8 Schools in the Southwest Region with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 360 Students
Program Viability in the Southwest region, relavant facts in bullet points
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data for grades K-8
  • 63% of District K-8 schools are enrolled at levels above both the minimum sustainability target of 360 students and the desired size of 450 students.
  • All but one school in this region have experienced steady or increasing enrollment over the last five years.

 


 

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM VIABILITY: CITYWIDE SUMMARY

 

District high school programs with at least 400 students are more likely to have the resources to sustain the baseline desired teaching and learning experience. This minimum enrollment target is the equivalent of 100 students per grade in 9th through 12th grades.

Ideally, District high school programs would enroll closer to 500 students, or about 125 students for each grade level, allowing for funding necessary for a more vibrant and viable school program.

 

District High School programs with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 400 Students

 
  • 79% of all District high schools are below the minimum viable enrollment of 400 students.
  • Half of the high schools below the minimum viable enrollment target are located in regions that are forecasted to have declining enrollment, suggesting those schools will continue to struggle to achieve viable enrollment levels.
 
graph showing High School enrollment above 400 students, Southwest at 60%, West 22%, Southeast 14%, Northeast 20% and nearwest and east at 0%.
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data
 

 

 

 

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM VIABILITY: SUMMARY BY REGION

 

Northeast, East and Southeast

District High School Programs on East Side with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 400 Students
graph showing 58 CMSD, 31 charter and 11% Private
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data
  • Only 13%, or three of the 23 District high school programs in these regions, are above the minimum viability target of 400 students and none are above the desired enrollment target of 500 students.
  • Northeast high school student population is forecast to decline by 6% by 2022- 23, while East and Southeast regional populations are relatively flat. This suggests a risk for future viability challenges as a result of lower student population.

 


 

Near West, West and Southwest

District High School Programs on West Side with 2017-18 Enrollment Above 400 Students
graph showing 57 CMSD, 28 Charter and 15% Private
SOURCE: 2017-18 ODE headcount enrollment data
  • 33% of District high school programs in these regions are above the minimum enrollment target of 400 students and two are above the sustainability target of 500 students.
  • High school population residing in these regions is forecasted to increase by 7% by 2022-23, though there are still risks to future viability due to 67% of current programs being under minimum enrollment targets.

 


 

 

 

 

 

Learn More

View all downloadable resources

Use the Interactive School Map to view Enrollment, Available Seats, Capacity and Building Utilization at the school level in your neighborhood.