Enrollment at Colorado’s largest school district peaked in 2019 before the pandemic abruptly forced students into online classes. While children have since returned to their classrooms, enrollment in K-12 schools has yet to rebound, according to the district’s annual report.
There’s not a single reason for the plunge in enrollment. The pandemic, which sent families into turmoil as parents lost jobs, died, or moved, has contributed to the crisis. But researchers and the district also attributed declining enrollment and the shifting population of students in the classrooms to other factors as well, namely falling birth rates and gentrification.
“If there wasn’t school choice and they didn’t have those options, I don’t believe would be moving to Denver-area zip codes as quickly right now,” said Milo Marquez, chair of the Latino Education Coalition, adding, “What are we going to do when there’s no more people of color living in Denver?” Rivas, who graduated from North High School, loved DPS as a student because in the classroom there were teachers who looked like her and spoke her native language, Spanish. She wanted her children to have the same experience, enrolling them into Colfax Elementary, where she just finished her first year as the school’s family liaison and as a special education paraprofessional.