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Richfield reports small enrollment increase; warns of funding risk from free meal changes
Summary
Craig Hulgee, the district’s business-and-operations presenter, told the board Jan. 6 that Richfield had 4,117 students on Oct. 1, 2024, and warned that lower counts for free-and-reduced meal eligibility tied to universal free meals could reduce compensatory funding.
Craig Hulgee, the district business-and-operations presenter, summarized enrollment, class-size and demographic data for the Richfield Public School District during the board’s Jan. 6 meeting.
"As of Oct. 1, we had 4,117 students district wide in Richfield Schools," Hulgee said, and he presented a packet of supporting tables and multi-year charts. Hulgee said the district’s traditional K–12 count was 3,963 (excluding voluntary pre-kindergarten), with 154 students in Voluntary Pre-K (VPK). He reported 1,739 elementary students, 813 middle-school students and 1,272 high-school students on the October count.
Average class sizes across the district remain about the same as recent years: Hulgee said elementary average class size was 24.15, middle-school average 24.19 and high school average 26.02. He showed multiyear charts that the district says reflect a long-term reduction in class sizes since a 2017 referendum funded smaller classes.
Hulgee and board members spent the larger part of the discussion on free-and-reduced meal identification and the district’s compensatory-education funding. The district reported 53% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the latest data, down from 57% the previous year and 62% the year before that; Hulgee said some of that decline is a result of federal and state policy changes including universal free meals and eligibility-certification practices.
"One of the unintended consequences of the free meal program...is that we see this reduced identification of free and reduced," Hulgee said, and he warned the district expects "significant decreases in our compensatory funding for next year" based on internal projections. Hulgee said district staff are sharing the detailed analysis with statewide partners including AMSD and MSBA to support legislative changes.
Board members requested clearer footnotes and context on the enrollment slides so third-party viewers would not misinterpret a drop in free-and-reduced counts as improved family income. Hulgee said staff will add explanatory footnotes to charts and continue sharing the data with legislative partners. Directors also requested follow-up from the high school about core-course sections that exceed 30 students; Hulgee agreed to obtain that detail from Principal Collins.
Hulgee’s presentation included a review of open-enrollment flows and market share. The district reported 706 inbound open-enrolled students and 779 outbound open-enrolled students for 2024–25, producing a net outbound impact; Hulgee said the district’s retained Richfield resident students attending district schools increased slightly to 3,411 and overall market share rose modestly to 62.75% from 61.63% the prior year.
The board did not take immediate action on the enrollment report; members asked staff to supply additional context and footnotes, and to follow up with the high school on large core classes.
