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Bend‑La Pine Schools reports elementary enrollment shortfall, high school numbers above projection
Summary
CFO Dan Emerson told the board Sept. 9 that elementary enrollment is 108 students below the district's budget projection while high schools are 86 students above projection; the district will return with a detailed October report and further disaggregated data.
Dan Emerson, Bend‑La Pine Schools chief financial officer, told the board of directors on Sept. 9 that the district’s initial enrollment counts show a mixed picture for 2025–26: elementary enrollment is 108 students below the budget projection while high schools have 86 more students than projected.
"We're 108 below what we projected from the budget," Emerson said. He told the board the elementary shortfall includes roughly 51 fewer kindergarten students and a notable decline in fourth grade enrollment.
Superintendent Steven Cook told the board the enrollment figures drive state funding and that the district will provide a fuller, weighted calculation next month. "Numbers are the basis of the state school fund," Cook said, noting that the weighted average daily membership (which applies state weightings) will be part of the October report.
Why it matters: state school funding for the district is tied to enrollment and weighted membership. Emerson said while elementary counts are down, the high school gains offset much of the gap so far: the district is down only 38 students from projection overall, and Emerson expects additional high‑school students to enroll in the coming weeks based on last year’s pattern.
Details Emerson gave to the board include a year‑over‑year decrease of about 135 students districtwide and a roughly 150‑student drop at district brick‑and‑mortar schools (with charter schools offsetting some losses). He said the district is working with Flow Analytics and internal staff to analyze kindergarten and longer‑term trends.
Board members asked about demographic breakdowns and whether declines reflect particular communities. Director Kena Chadwick asked for race and ethnicity cuts tied to the kindergarten decline, specifically asking whether the Latino/Latine community is enrolling at different rates. Emerson said the district has demographic data and can disaggregate it but that the deeper analysis will be part of the October follow‑up.
Emerson also agreed to send figures about Bend‑La Pine Online (reported as roughly 660 students in a prior report) and ACR (alternative online) enrollments after the meeting.
What’s next: the district will return in October with school‑level and weighted membership detail and additional disaggregations by subgroup. The board and administration said they are monitoring the numbers and plan follow‑up work to understand causes and funding impacts.
Ending: Board members and staff emphasized monitoring and additional data work; Emerson and Cook committed to supplying a more detailed report and the district's analysis next month.
