Fewer students are attending schools in Oconto Falls and Abrams for the 2015-16 school year, a situation Oconto Falls School District Superintendent Dean Hess said is very high on his radar.
The official student count, taken Sept. 18, showed 1,721 students enrolled, 26 students fewer than last year and 104 away from the September 2012 count, according to information shared at Monday’s School Board meeting.
“That’s a pretty significant trend over the last three years. We’re trying to figure out how we can get that trend turned around,” Hess said.
Programming is one area of focus, along with better marketing, including a more vibrant website, Hess recommended.
“People (in the district) are focused on doing. One of the things we can improve on is the sharing,” he said.
School Board member Clint Gardebrecht said beefing up the website will be money well spent.
Tying into the numbers discussion was open enrollment, which showed Oconto Falls on the losing end. For the current school year, 180 students living in the school district opted to enroll elsewhere, while 121 opted into the district.
The district processed 45 requests for open enrollment for the current school year, including 13 students in 4-year-old kindergarten and five who attended in Oconto Falls previously but decided to enroll in another district.
“I think this is a critical thing we need to address,” Gardebrecht said.
School Board member Jan Stranz said the district had positive open enrollment numbers as recently as four or five years ago.
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