WBEZ reports:
Enrollment in Chicago Public Schools dropped dramatically again this fall as the pandemic appears to be exacerbating a decade-long slide.
District-run schools are down about 10,000 students compared to last fall, according to a WBEZ analysis of individual school data from CPS’ website. Public charter and alternative schools, which are included in CPS’ total enrollment figure, also appear to be down but it is unclear exactly how much.
There's more:
Total enrollment is expected to be less than 330,000, according to WBEZ’s estimate of enrollment data from late last week. Last year’s total was 341,000 — down 14,500 from the year before the pandemic began. The school district may no longer be the third largest in the country. Miami-Dade County Public Schools reported about 334,000 students last year.
Can you say inefficiency?
For years, there’s been a growing number of majority Black schools with tiny student populations. This year, that number grew by 11%. These schools, which have less than 250 students, include 12 neighborhood high schools. Manley High School on the West Side has just 64 students and Hirsch on the South Side has just 78. Given the way Chicago Public Schools is structured, it is difficult for these schools to provide comprehensive, robust programming, experts say
But, Catholic school enrollment is up in Chicago:
The Archdiocese of Chicago says school enrollment is up by about 6.5% this year, a figure that is preliminary as the tally isn’t complete. This comes after decades of enrollment declines.
Many are rejecting the John Dewey factories of illiteracy.
