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District 196 reports stable enrollment at 28,934 students on Oct. 1
Summary
District 196 reported 28,934 students on its official Oct. 1 seat-count for the 2025-26 school year. Finance staff said the district's projection methodology was within 0.3% accuracy and highlighted demographic shifts including growth in special education and English learner populations.
District 196 presented its official Oct. 1, 2025 seat-count enrollment Monday, reporting 28,934 students for the 2025-26 school year and saying the district's projection methodology continues to track actual enrollment closely.
"The October 1 report is utilized in a few different ways," Danny Dusheng, the districtcoordinator of finance, told the board. He said the district's official Oct. 1 seat count is used to set final budget allocations and helps estimate the year-end ADM figures that drive most state aid entitlement calculations.
Key figures presented to the board include:
- Total Oct. 1 seat-count: 28,934 students for 2025-26. - Grade-band distribution: secondary levels accounted for 54% of enrollment (high school 31%, middle school 23%); elementary accounted for about 39%; center-based and early childhood special education together accounted for 7%. - Year-over-year net change: a decline of 115 students, about 0.4% compared with Oct. 1, 2024. - Projection accuracy: the Oct. 1 actuals were within 0.3% of the district's projections for the year.
Dusheng emphasized the difference between C-count seat reports (October 1 snapshot) and ADM (average daily membership) calculations, noting that October 1 is the first official report sent to the Minnesota Department of Education and is a primary input to budget and state-aid estimates.
Board members praised the projection work and asked for clarification on a decline in the district's online program. Finance staff explained that the districts 196 Online program began during COVID, enrollment has declined as students returned to in-person learning, and the district is serving a final cohort of seniors from that program this year.
The presentation also included demographic trends: the district reported increases in students receiving special education and English learner services, and five-year comparisons showing increasing racial diversity. Dusheng said the district will use the Oct. 1 counts in the final budget cycle and in developing 2026-27 enrollment projections, which the district expects to bring to the board later this fall.
