Consultants tell Acton-Boxborough committee enrollment has fallen, district outperforms peers but faces budget and facility choices

Acton — Consultants from DMG Group presented a diagnostic analysis to the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee on Sept. 9, laying out enrollment trends, student needs, academic outcomes, staffing and facilities costs, and next steps for a strategic plan and possible school reorganization.

DMG consultant Joe Costello said enrollment has “declined significantly,” and that district demographics have shifted: multilingual learners have risen sharply, the percentage of students eligible for economic supports has increased, and students’ instructional and behavioral needs have grown more complex. Costello said those shifts have played out unevenly across the district’s six elementary schools, largely because of the district’s open-enrollment policy and the kindergarten lottery.

The study’s nut graf: the district produces high academic results relative to peers while spending below the state average, but persistent achievement gaps for English learners and students with disabilities and mounting capital and operating pressures mean the committee must weigh trade-offs involving school design, program placement and long-term finance.

Key findings presented to the committee included:

- Enrollment trends and student needs: DMG reported about a 10% decline in enrollment over the last decade and projected a…