The Greenwood and Leflore County public school districts as well as Pillow Academy showed 1 percent to 2 percent drops in their enrollment numbers this year.
Other area schools had mixed results.
Carroll Academy lost students, while the Carroll County public district made gains.
Greenwood private schools St. Francis of Assisi and North New Summit held level.
Enrollment is an important funding element for both private and public schools. The state pays public schools based on average daily attendance, and private schools collect tuition.
Leflore County Superintendent Jean Hall said the losses were at the district’s two high schools — Amanda Elzy in Greenwood and Leflore County in Itta Bena. Once students turn 17, compulsory school laws don’t apply anymore, she said.
“We’re providing as many activities as we can to encourage the students to come back to school,” Hall said.
“Our academics are up; our test scores are up, so that can’t be used as an excuse,” she said.
The same theory seems to fit the Greenwood district, too. Greenwood High School lost 24 students; the district as a whole was down 25.
The enrollment by grade at Greenwood High exemplifies that trend:
nNinth grade: 206.
n10th grade: 199.
n11th grade: 172.
n12th grade: 121.
Hall said people moving away due to the economy could also be a cause for enrollment drops.
Population in Greenwood and Leflore County has been moving steadily downward at the same time enrollment has declined.
Greenwood’s population fell about 15 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to census data. The city school district’s enrollment dropped off even more, 23 percent, during that same time.
The county district’s enrollment fell 12 percent during that time.
Leflore County’s enrollment is currently 2,729; Greenwood’s is 2,844.
Pillow Academy’s enrollment is down 2 percent to 801, but it’s within a range that it’s been at for more than a decade. For example, enrollment was 802 in 1999.
Headmaster Termie Land said Pillow is generally holding steady.
Carroll Academy fell a little harder. It’s down 7 percent to 331.
“Biggest thing I think is the economy,” Headmaster Steve Flemming said. “We’ve had some families move off looking for jobs, ... and we’ve had some go to the public schools.”
Carroll County public schools had the biggest increases of any area district. Enrollment jumped 5 percent to 986. All of that increase came from Marshall Elementary, the district’s lone elementary school.
North New Summit, which goes from kindergarten through 12th grade and focuses on small class sizes, kept its enrollment at 102.
St. Francis, a pre-K through sixth grade Catholic school, added one student to reach an enrollment of 117.
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
