USD 383 preliminary enrollment down about 100 students; district reduces one section at Ogden

Assistant Superintendent Nathan Downs told the Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Board of Education on Aug. 20 that preliminary enrollment counts — as of the morning of the meeting — show the district down about 100 students from the previous school year and roughly in line with the 2023–24 year.

Downs said the high school is approximately 60 students lower than last year; that number includes about 30 students in the district’s alternative learning program. Several elementary schools — Amanda Arnold, Bluemont, Frank V. Burkman and Ogden — were each down about 20 students compared with last year. Downs said one grade level at Ogden lost almost 50 percent of its students, so the district reduced that grade level by one section (teacher position) that had been open.

Downs also noted there are 77 students in Infinite Campus who have not yet enrolled and are not included in the 6,569 total reported in the board packet; the district expects September 20 counts to change again and will report February counts when military families move during the year. He reminded the board that kindergarten enrollment stood at 460 and the senior class at 480, a gap the district and an external enrollment consultant have previously highlighted.

Board members asked follow-up questions about the 77 students not finalized and whether forced transfers have occurred; Downs said forced transfers this year so far have been limited to balancing sixth and eighth grade numbers between Anthony and Eisenhower in specific cases, and that fourth grade at Theodore Roosevelt is at capacity. Downs said staffing and enrollment remain fluid through the September counts.

The board requested the September 20 enrollment report for updated and finalized numbers.