Educators say programs, full-day K help attract students

Attractive academic programs and free full-day kindergarten seem to draw students in the Pikes Peak region.

That’s the take of officials at some districts that saw enrollment increases this school year.

Of the 17 districts in El Paso and Teller counties, nine have more students than they did in the 2010 student count, seven have fewer, and one — Ellicott School District 22 — stayed exactly the same, according to numbers released Friday by the Colorado Department of Education.

Statewide, the 2011-12 school year pupil count increased by 10,949 over the previous year. The state has 854,265 public school students.

The largest jump in area districts was in Academy School District 20, which gained 538 students in the 2011 count. It’s up 1,740 students from the 2008 count.

“Academy District 20 is benefiting from a rebound in construction along the north and east boundaries of our district,” Superintendent Mark Hatchell said in a statement. “Our academic programs continue to attract families at an increasing rate. Our world-language immersion programs, Academy Online High School, International Baccalaureate programs and our Home School Academy are among our growing programs.”

Nearby Falcon School District 49, one of the fastest-growing districts in the state in the past decade, gained 355 students. And to the north, Lewis-Palmer School District 38 added 99 students.

Southern El Paso County districts also saw gains, in part bolstered by growth at Fort Carson.

But they’re seeing something else in Widefield School District 3, said spokesman James Drew.

“We are growing and have room to grow,” he said. “Homebuilding is picking up, and some of it is the military. But from the feedback we’re getting, it’s our programs.”

He cited growing enrollment at an arts focus school, strong orchestra programs and free full-day kindergarten. Like D-20, the district  has a growing online program, D 3 My Way, that offers instructional help along with the home-based study.

“We have been able to keep our students in our district,” Drew said. “They’re not leaving for other districts as much as in the past. I think that it is our programs.”

Adjacent Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8, also impacted by military growth in the south part of the county, gained 166 students this year.

Colorado Springs School District 11, the region’s largest district, gained 50 students. The district’s enrollment declined steadily from 2002 to 2008, when it began to level off.

Although the district’s overall gain wasn’t large, spokeswoman Devra Ashby said officials are excited by a 6 percent jump in kindergarten enrollment — 160 more students.

“We have free full-day kindergarten in every school — that’s why our kindergarten rates are up,” she said.

Retention of high school students has improved, which Ashby attributed to strong programs that are keeping D-11 students and attracting students from outside the district.

“We are happy to see that our programs are keeping them here,” she said.

Most of the enrollment decreases were in the small, rural districts, although Harrison School District 2, the region’s fourth-largest, lost 39 students.