Enrollment and class-size report: district diversity grows, class-size distributions vary by school
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
District presenters reported that diverse student populations now form a majority, free and reduced lunch participation is about 40%, English-language-learner numbers leveled around 2,150, special education serves about 1,600 of 14,000+ students, and class-size ranges vary by building and program.
District staff presented the annual class-size and enrollment report, drawing on Iowa Department of Education data and Infinite Campus snapshots. Presenters said certified enrollment declined slightly toward 2023–24 levels but demographic shifts show diverse populations now representing a majority of students.
Nick (presentation lead) noted free and reduced lunch participation hovers around 40 percent and that English-language-learner enrollment stabilized near 2,150 students. He said approximately 1,600 students receive special education services out of a district population of over 14,000.
The presentation described class-size distributions by building and program. Secondary scheduling and program choices create wide ranges (examples include music ensembles listed as many separate lesson sections, which affects medians). Elementary median class sizes generally fall in the 15–24 range; the largest section noted this year was one class of 32, with most elementary sections at or below 30.
Staff explained the RAM (weighting) methodology used to estimate resourcing needs: students start as a count of one and additional weight is added for IEP status, free/reduced lunch status, ELL status, and McKinney-Vento (homeless) status. The presenters said that weighted enrollment should be included when the board compares building-level expenditures and efficiencies.
Board members asked follow-up questions about whether monthly versus quarterly reporting, and weighted enrollment versus unweighted figures, should be used for budget comparisons. Staff offered to provide additional breakdowns and noted that class-size snapshots were taken on 01/30/26.
The presentation concluded with an offer to return with more granular data on academic outcomes and building-level impacts as requested by directors.