Nearly 12k more students in Utah public schools

Enrollment is up slightly in Utah’s public schools this year, with growth fueled mainly by charter schools, new state figures show.

Utah schools have 612,500 students, a nearly 2 percent increase from the previous year, state schools chief Martell Menlove announced Friday. The 2013 total is nearly 12,000 more than last fall.

Charter school enrollment increased by 8 percent this year, figures show. The nearly 55,000 students in charter schools make up about 9 percent of the state’s enrollment total. That’s more than double the national average.

The growth is testament to the high level of education charter schools are providing, said Chris Bleak, president of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools. There are 95 charter schools in the state, with seven to nine new ones being established each year, he said. The schools are only funded if children attend, he said.

“If you provide something people are interested in, people will come,” Bleak said. “It speaks highly about the product being offered.”

Despite the gains this year, enrollment growth may be slowing, both in regular and charter schools, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The number of students in kindergarten this fall is down for the first time in many years, Menlove told the newspaper. That could foreshadow future declines in overall student enrollment, he said.

Growth projections for next year have already been scaled back for next year, state officials said.

The 10 largest school districts in 2013 remain the same from years past, with the Alpine leading the way with 72,400 students. The Alpine School District is south of Salt Lake City, encompassing Lehi, American Fork and Orem.

Davis is the second-largest school district with 68,600 students, followed in the top five by Granite, Jordan and Canyons.

The data also show the number of low-income students dropped this year to 34 percent of students, compared with 37 percent last year. The Ogden, Piute, San Juan and Salt Lake school districts have the highest percentage of low-income students.

Minority students make up 24 percent of the state’s students, with the Salt Lake, San Juan and Ogden school districts reporting the highest percentages. Latinos are the largest minority group, accounting for 16 percent of the state’s students.

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