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District reports shifting pre‑K capacity and early attendance improvements amid enrollment decline
Summary
Lynn Public Schools presented pre‑K seat comparisons, enrollment changes and early attendance data showing decreased chronic absenteeism year‑to‑date but an overall enrollment dip since last year; leaders cited transfers out of state/city as the largest causes for high‑school declines and discussed outreach to families.
Lynn Public Schools officials presented pre‑K enrollment comparisons, district‑wide enrollment counts and early attendance trends at the Sept. 25 meeting, and described targeted outreach to families amid a net enrollment decline.
The district compared current pre‑K seats against neighboring and “like” districts and reported Lynn offers comparable — in some cases higher — pre‑K capacity than surrounding cities. Officials said the city’s pre‑K seat count is frequently updated and noted slides in the packet reflected data as of the prior week while staff presented updated figures.
District enrollment reported in the packet was 16,005 as of Sept. 23; staff later said the count had fallen to 15,971. By contrast, the district reported 16,364 students in 2024, a net decline of 393 students year over year. Presentation slides showed notable declines in certain high‑school cohorts: English High School tenth grade dropped about 14% relative to the prior year.
District staff identified the two largest reasons for English High School departures as students transferring out of Massachusetts public schools (about 44% of the cited reasons) and transfers out of the city. Lynn Classical showed slightly different patterns with a larger share of students transferring within the district.
On attendance, the district said its overall attendance rate was 93.3% as of Sept. 18, and chronic absenteeism fell from a 31% baseline toward 22.8% in the reporting window. Deputy and attendance staff credited enhanced two‑way communications (ParentSquare), a welcome team, targeted interventions and new data tools (OpenArchitects) for improved early‑year attendance and more efficient progress monitoring.
Committee members and district leaders discussed outreach to immigrant and faith‑based communities to counter misinformation and encourage school attendance. Member Pena said district staff have attended community meetings to explain school safety procedures and “know your rights” information in Spanish.
The school committee also approved a proclamation naming September 2025 as Attendance Awareness Month to highlight the district’s focus on regular school attendance.
