Barrow County board hears statewide enrollment dip and CCRPI data; district down about 1.1%
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Summary
District leaders told the school board that an official state data release shows 89% of Georgia school districts saw enrollment declines for 2025–26; Barrow County’s fall FTE fell roughly 1.1%. Staff said they’ve requested more state data to analyze causes and potential impacts on long‑range planning.
District leaders told the Barrow County Board of Education on Nov. 18 that a state data release shows a broad decline in K–12 enrollment across Georgia and that the county’s own enrollment fell by about 1.1% on the FTE count date.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Thompson presented the figures and put the county’s change in regional context. "The enrollment decline we saw is actually part of a much broader statewide trend," he said, adding that neighboring counties saw larger percentage drops. Thompson said the district has requested additional state data for a deeper analysis and that the Legislature is closely watching the trend.
District staff said the local decline is smaller than many nearby systems and may have been mitigated by new housing construction. They emphasized that the enrollment shift could affect long‑term growth projections and capital outlay planning. "We don't yet know the entire reasons why," Thompson said, and officials flagged the need for further data work.
During the same presentation window, district staff explained how CCRPI (College and Career Readiness Performance Index) scores are calculated and why year‑to‑year comparisons can be misleading after COVID‑era testing gaps and changes to assessments. District data presenter Persinger said CCRPI components are scored 0–100 and include content mastery, progress, closing‑gaps measures and readiness; participation rules and the inclusion of alternate assessments affect results.
Board members asked how incomplete tests and students who must leave testing early are handled. Persinger said makeups are possible and, in some cases, the Georgia Department of Education can disqualify a test so it does not harm a student's record; she added the district met the 95% participation threshold this year.
The district also noted that the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), not DOE, will calculate overall CCRPI scores (expected in January), which will inform comparisons and accountability uses such as the Promise Scholarship ranking.
Next steps: district staff will analyze the state data when it becomes available and report back with findings relevant to enrollment drivers and budgetary impacts.