Pasco School District reports modest overall enrollment gain; high schools show strongest growth

Assistant Superintendent Goble reported to the Pasco School Board that the district's first official enrollment count for the 2025-26 school year shows a small net increase, with the largest gains at the high school level. "This initial count gives us a really a snapshot of where we are as a district," Goble said, describing the figure as a tool to "understand trends, really plan resources, and ensure we are ready to meet the needs of our students."

The district's initial head count for the year was presented as 18,299 students. Goble said elementary enrollment was up by "about 41 students," middle school was down by "about 41 students," and the biggest gain was at the high-school level with an increase of 84 students. "This overall growth is great news for our district," she said, and noted that October is typically the district's highest-count month and staff will continue outreach before that count.

Why it matters: enrollment counts drive state apportionment and staffing and facilities planning. Goble emphasized the counts are both compliance measures under state rules and the primary driver for resource allocations. "These counts are not only compliance measures, but they also drive state apportionment," she said.

Supporting details and local patterns: Goble presented five-year trend charts showing roughly flat statewide enrollment but a small bump this year that mirrors the district's experience. She called out program-level differences: the district's PDLA (virtual learning) program was described as "strong" and, unlike most programs that decline after October, PDLA historically increases later in the year. At the school level, some middle schools (for example, Reynolds) continued to grow while others (for example, Ochoa) showed multi-year declines. At the high school level, staff noted that some new schools do not yet have senior classes, which affects comparisons across campuses.

District response and next steps: Goble said schools are actively making personal phone contacts, emails and home visits between the September and October counts to locate and enroll students. She told the board that the district will use the next official count on Oct. 1 to refine staffing and course planning. "We'll continue to monitor these shifts closely," she said.

Context and programs tied to start-up: Board members and student representatives described welcome-and-transition programs that supported the opening weeks, including Link Crew at high schools and WEB leaders at middle schools, plus a program called Ignite to Unite that the district said focuses on academics, athletics, arts and activities. Board President Amanda Brown and Superintendent Whitney both praised the start-of-year outreach and student turnout at early sporting events.

Ending: Goble closed by noting the district has engaged Eastern Washington University for updated enrollment projections as part of longer-term planning, and reiterated that staff will report updated figures after the Oct. 1 count.