By Associated Press
Oregon’s growing minority population has boosted student enrollment to another record this school year.
While the number of white students has been dropping since 1996, enrollment of Latinos, Asian Americans, blacks and American Indians has climbed in Oregon schools for the past quarter century.
The enrollment figures reflect the state’s dual economy, with schools in the Portland metro area and in certain other locations showing growth in the past five years, and enrollment in many rural schools falling along with the rural economy.
Enrollment records show Oregon’s kindergarten-through-12th-grade student count stands at 546,986 this school year, up just 0.4 percent, or 1,953 students, from the previous school year.
Of the state’s 198 school districts, 116 logged declining enrollments during the past five years.
State Superintendent Stan Bunn says the increase in the number of minority students reflects the changing face of Oregon. Latinos this year surpassed 10 percent of Oregon’s student body.
Barry Edmonston, director of the Center for Population Research and Census at Portland State University, said the Latino numbers reflect both the influx of young Hispanic families into Oregon, and a higher birth rate than among other ethnic groups.
The number of white students declined from 455,045 in 1996 to 432,377 this year.
Also this year, the state allowed school districts to report students who expressed no racial or ethnic identity in an unassigned category. All told, 9,317 students expressed no racial or ethnic identity, but state officials believe most of those students are white. Even if they are, however, the number of white students declined this year.
Bunn said the drop in enrollment among small schools may require help from the Legislature.
Portland Public Schools lost enrollment again this year, declining to 53,141 students, according to state figures. The enrollment drop in Coos County is so severe — 8 percent in the past five years — that the Coos Bay and North Bend school districts, intense rivals on the sports field, are studying a merger.
“If you asked me six months ago about a merger, I would have said it never would happen,” said Coos Bay Superintendent Giles Parker. “Now, I’d say it is a 50-50 chance.”
Oregon schools get most of their money for school operations from the state on a per-student basis, so declining enrollment means less money.
Schools with declining enrollment can calculate their school aid based on the higher enrollment figure of this year or last. Bunn suggested that schools might be able to take the highest enrollment of the past four years.
While the increasing diversity in schools has heightened cultural awareness and different points of view in the classroom, it has also brought new challenges, such as making sure that all students become proficient in English.
The state also has been trying to attack the high dropout rate in the state, which is highest among Latino high school students. |
