Student Enrollment Projected to Decline in Osseo School District

For the next five years, student enrollment in the Osseo School District is projected to decline slightly. 

The District 279 School Board heard a five-year enrollment projection, as part of an annual presentation, at the Tuesday, Dec. 18, meeting. 

District 279 Assistant Superintendent Kim Riesgraf presented current and projected enrollment for the district during a presentation to the School Board as part of the annual budget and staffing process for the upcoming school year.

Overall, Osseo School District projects student enrollment will decline by about 54 students per year over the next five years, but "is stabilizing." Preliminary data for the 2012-2013 school year reflected nearly 150 more students than previously projected. 

The number of students at every level is projected to remain “fairly stable” over the next five years, according to Riesgraf. Enrollment is also projected to drop under 20,000 students during the 2015-16 school year.

Highlights from Riesgraf’s presentation:

• Special student populations are increasing. According to the presentation, free/reduced lunch and LEP are among the special student populations increasing enrollment.

• The portion of non-resident students enrolling in the Osseo School District “shows a slight increase” – by about three percent.

• Of those enrolling outside the district, public option choice is growing and non-public options are declining. The district is “particularly experiencing competition from charter schools,” Riesgraf said. 

• Some students residing in the Osseo School District are enrolling in nearby public charter schools. For example, 272 students to Parnassus Prep and 201 students to Beacon Academy in Maple Grove and several Brooklyn Park based charter schools during the 2012-13 year, based on preliminary school district data.

The Osseo School District loses more students to neighboring school districts through open enrollment than it gained.

The following is based on 2012-13 school year number of students (preliminary data) provided to the School Board: 

• District 279 student residents lost to the following school districts: Anoka (574), Brooklyn Center (415), Wayzata (354), Robbinsdale (285), Minneapolis (101), Fridley (97), and Elk River (50).

• District 279 student residents gained from the following school districts: Anoka (367), Brooklyn Center (97), Wayzata (29), Robbinsdale (315), Minneapolis (153), Fridley (18), and Elk River (78). 

To view the entire enrollment projection presentation, visit the Osseo School District 279 website.

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