Princeton City Schools reports enrollment dip and celebrates high state ratings

Princeton City Schools reported shifting enrollment figures and highlighted recent state performance scores during the board meeting.

Kim Meltzer, the district’s EMIS coordinator, said first-week enrollment this year was 5,908 but reported a current enrollment of 5,556 as of Sept. 5, 2025, noting that daily changes and processing of withdrawals affect totals. Meltzer explained several reasons the numbers move: summer withdrawals processed after school start, a district 'no show' list that removes students who never returned from summer, and 154 pending applications that remained in final processing. She also said counts for economically disadvantaged status, English-learner identification and gifted screening are still in flux because of annual recertification and screening timelines.

The superintendent, in a subsequent report to the board, said the district again earned high state ratings: Princeton High School received a 4.5 rating for a third consecutive year and the district’s gap-closing metric moved from a 4 to a 5. The superintendent credited staff, students and families, and emphasized that student attendance is a key driver of achievement.

District staff said kindergarten enrollment currently includes about 400 full-day students and 7.5 half-day placements (parent choice), and that Champions after-school placements and busing arrangements are being managed by building and program leaders while enrollment levels determine on-site availability.

Board members asked staff to provide five-year comparisons and additional breakdowns (including Great Oaks and Head Start counts) to help interpret year-over-year shifts.