Ferndale reports steady enrollment trends; district refining Count Day numbers

Director of school community relations Mr. Hbert presented the district’s Count Day data on Oct. 21 and walked the board through cohort analyses and attendance measures.

Hbert said the district is "around 3,206 right now" as staff continue to reconcile Count Day and FPCC totals; earlier unofficial figures had been higher. He noted that about a third of the district’s students are School of Choice (roughly 1,000 students), and that University High School’s enrollment is increasing, which administrators called a favorable sign.

The director reviewed four‑year cohort transitions to check whether the district experiences significant attrition at grade moves; he said the cohorts show modest changes but overall stability. The presentation noted a common reporting effect for kindergarten counts (first‑five programs can produce duplicate counts at the K level), which should be accounted for in any transition analysis.

On attendance, the district’s average daily attendance was reported near 94.3% and the superintendent’s office said it monitors an 86% early‑warning indicator threshold. Hbert and board members discussed slight dips on early‑release Wednesdays at some buildings and agreed to continue building reports that track Wednesday attendance and chronically absent students.

Board members asked for further breakdowns (timing of enrollments, number of new resident families, and implications for class sizes) and administration said it would provide additional enrollment‑trend data on request.