SLPS reports enrollment dip from prior year but staff say numbers are trending up; FOCUS registration changes explained

Chief Mitchell presented an enrollment and registration update to the St. Louis Public Schools board on Jan. 13, reporting count-day figures and planned changes to the annual registration process.

Chief Mitchell said SLPS’s 2024–25 count-day enrollment was 17,989 and that this year’s official count-day number was 17,226 — a decrease of 763 students. She told the board that when district staff ran the enrollment pull on Jan. 5 the count was 17,348 and a later pull the same day showed 17,368, and she described that as an upward trajectory.

The chief framed the numbers as a snapshot the district is watching, noting special attention to six tornado-impacted schools that show declines in enrollment; staff are tracking where those students have gone. She described the FOCUS registration update as an annual process required by Missouri law and clarified that the district has streamlined some nonrequired forms so families verify or upload required documents (birth certificate, immunization records, proof of residency, government ID, and custody/guardianship documents) by April 15.

On pre-K enrollment, board members asked whether the district can expand seats in schools with waiting lists. Staff said open slots exist across the district but that families often wait for preferred sites; expansion depends on available classroom space, equipment, and building configurations. Staff also noted a retention concern: many preschool attendees do not remain in SLPS by second grade, which staff say undermines the goal of keeping children in-district through graduation.

Chief Mitchell said about 68% of families (11,832 students) have at least one parent signed up in FOCUS and highlighted individual schools with very high family sign-up rates.

The update was presented for information; the board asked questions and staff said they will continue monitoring enrollment and outreach.