School enrollment rebounds from pandemic decline

Public school enrollment is on the rebound in Flathead County following a decline brought on by Covid-19.

When the pandemic hit schools in 2020 it upended how schools operated. There were closures, virtual learning components and families opting to home school, which spiked in 2020, but has since declined.

All public schools, except Fair-Mont-Egan and West Glacier schools and Whitefish High School, experienced enrollment increases compared to 2020. Most public schools in Flathead County have even surpassed pre-pandemic numbers, according to data being compiled into the 2021 Statistical Report of Schools.

The annual report is compiled by the office of the Flathead County Superintendent of Schools using figures from a fall enrollment count taken the first Monday of October. A second enrollment count is taken in February. Figures from the two official counts are put into a formula to determine state funding levels for Montana’s public schools.

There are 10,505 kindergarten through eighth-grade students attending public elementary and middle schools in Flathead County. This is a 7% increase compared to 2020, representing an additional 646 students. Over 10 years, the county’s public elementary and middle schools grew by 13%, representing 1,241 more students.

The number of elementary students being home-schooled changed significantly year-to-year, decreasing by 335 students or -25%. However, a 10-year enrollment comparison shows 622 more students are being home-schooled in the county, a 163% increase.

In the county’s four public high schools, total enrollment stands at 4,618 students. This is a 2% increase compared to 2020, or 104 more students. Compared to 10 years ago, high schools gained 334 students, an 8% increase.

The number of high school students being home-schooled is currently 192 individuals. That’s a year-to-year decrease of 37 students, or -16%.

DESPITE THE pandemic, total enrollment in public, private and home schools throughout Flathead County grew by 3% compared to last year with a current grand total of 17,329 kindergarten through 12th-graders in Flathead County.

Continued enrollment growth combined with residential development has prompted at least two school districts to keep watch on building capacity.

Kalispell Public Schools, the county’s largest school district, has a total of 6,162 kindergarten through 12th-graders, according to the official October enrollment count.

While the district hasn’t formally started another facility planning process, the topic has been broached based on current and future residential development projects in the city.

Compared to 2020, the district’s six elementary schools and the middle school added 251 students for a total enrollment of 3,135. This represents a 9% increase. Compared to 10 years ago, there are 174 more kindergarten through eighth-graders, a 6% increase.

The district's two high schools, Flathead and Glacier, combined, added 69 students, a 2% year-to-year increase for a total of 3,027 ninth- through 12th-graders.

LIKE KALISPELL, West Valley School District also has been impacted by enrollment growth and residential development and built two classrooms over the summer as a stopgap measure. A steering committee, formed last winter, has been meeting regularly since the spring with discussions honing in on how building a new middle school would impact growth. The committee’s next step is deciding whether or not to propose a bond issue, according to West Valley Superintendent Cal Ketchum.

Currently, total enrollment at West Valley School is 765 kindergarten through eighth-graders. This is an increase of 54 students compared to last year, or 8%.

A 10-year comparison shows a 46% increase, or an additional 204 students.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 406-758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.