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District recommends final full‑diploma IB cohort at Kenmore West amid declining enrollment in IB courses
Summary
District leaders recommended that the current junior cohort be the final full‑diploma IB cohort at Kenmore West because elective IB course enrollments have fallen; students already in higher grades would be allowed to finish the program.
Kenmore‑Tonawanda district leaders presented a recommendation on Feb. 13 to end the intake of new full‑diploma International Baccalaureate (IB) cohorts at Kenmore West High School after the current junior cohort graduates.
Lisa Cross, the district’s executive director of secondary education, summarized multi‑year enrollment trends in IB courses at Kenmore West and said elective IB classes have low enrollment. Cross reported historical counts for full IB diploma candidates: nine candidates in the class of 2022 (seven completed), 21 in 2023 (15 completed) and nine last year (seven completed). District staff said the program currently has several IB course sections with enrollments below 10 students and a low student‑to‑teacher ratio that affects staffing efficiency.
"Because the courses are offered, it becomes increasingly difficult to offer the courses that must be offered through IB," the superintendent said while introducing the discussion. As a result of the enrollment analysis and staffing considerations, Cross said the district is recommending that the current junior cohort be the final cohort pursuing the full IB diploma at Kenmore West; the district intends to allow current juniors to complete the sequence of courses required for the full diploma.
Cross and the superintendent said the district will continue to offer advanced coursework, such as AP classes and an AP Capstone sequence, as alternatives and will work with affected students and families to explain options. District staff said 13 sophomores had applied to the IB program; the district will meet with those families to explain the recommendation and alternatives. The presentation emphasized that the recommendation followed multi‑year analysis of enrollment and course sustainability and that staffing and budget realities in a large district influenced the recommendation.
The board was informed of the recommendation during the meeting; the district did not announce an immediate formal board vote on program closure at this session. The superintendent said the district will work with affected students and families to ensure current students can complete programs they began.
