School district still gauges enrollment for trends, budget

Carson City School District’s 2024-25 kindergarten class slowly is bulking up in number, and that makes Chief Financial Officer Spencer Winward happy.

The district looks to incoming learners to replace and potentially exceed the previous year’s high school graduates for budgetary purposes. But in recent years, a declining enrollment hasn’t provided much to be excited about, officials have said. An overall year-to-year change as of Sept. 10 saw Carson City’s total drop from 7,063 to 7,026, a 37-student decrease, with most schools maintaining steady population levels, Winward said.

The kindergarten class as of Sept. 10 in the 2024-25 year experienced a 33-student increase from 415 to 448, Winward reported to the board. Seniors added two to their class while other grades generally decreased in number.

By school, Carson High saw the biggest addition with 105 new students between September 2023 and 2024. Pioneer Academy now operates as an offsite, alternative campus of Carson, so its enrollment of 189 folded in and Carson adjusted from 2,273 to 2,378 for a difference of 105 students.

The two middle schools differed, with Carson Middle dropping by 16 year over year, seeing 846 at enrollment count while Eagle Valley Middle gained 57 and went from 803 to 860. Elementary sites also saw dips and gains.

In May 2023, Superintendent Andrew Feuling discussed with the school board an analysis from consultant Davis Demographics. Data showed there had been 561 live births with 543 children starting in kindergarten in school year 2017 when most of those children born were expected to enroll, but the gap widened in 2017 with 584 live births and 474 kindergarteners in school year 2022 after COVID.

Elementary school classes have been seeing a downsize with fewer students enrolling in the past few years.

Winward has maintained there has been no cause for worry despite a gradual decline. Overall fiscal impact, with a total estimated budgeted of $10,114 per pupil, totals $618,977 and is slightly higher than budgeted, Winward said. He was hopeful with a projected deficit of approximately $900,000 for the 2024-25 year, as he reported last in June, that the reported numbers would help in the long run.

“If these numbers hold through, it gets us closer to a balanced budget, which I’d love to see throughout the year,” he said.