Enrollment is rising in Olympia schools, superintendent says. But will it continue?
Enrollment is higher in Olympia schools than the district projected for the first time since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Superintendent Patrick Murphy said.
According to district data, October enrollment is at 9,022 students for the 2024-2025 school year. The district budgeted for 8,886 students. Murphy said Oct. 24 enrollment was higher than it was last year, when it was 8,993 students.
Those numbers exclude enrollment in special programs such as Running Start, where high school students earn credit through community college courses, and the open doors (gravity program). Transition to Kindergarten also is not included because it’s not included in OSPI Basic Education enrollment counts.
Kate Davis, the district’s executive director of finance, said she projects they will end the school year with somewhere between 8,959 and 8,976 students. The average number of students during the 2023-2024 school year was 8,951 students.
Davis said October tends to be one of OSD’s highest enrollment months, and numbers will begin to decline through the end of the calendar year.
Murphy broke down enrollment information by school. He said some individual enrollments are up, and some are down. For instance, he said Capital High School is up compared to what the district expected, but enrollment is down compared to last year.
October enrollment at CHS is 1,131, compared to the budgeted 1,084 students. Last year’s October enrollment at CHS was 1,139 students.
Olympia High School’s October enrollment is 1,687 students, compared to an expected 1,626 students. Last year’s October enrollment was 1,633 students at OHS.
Elementary school enrollment totals are down this year compared to last year. Including all 11 schools and ORLA’s program, October enrollment is 3,737 students, down from 3,777 students last year.
Davis cautions that comparing October enrollment to budgeted enrollment isn’t perfect. The district’s budget is based on an annual average projection, and October is anticipated to be a higher-than-average month. So it’s taking a high point and comparing it to an annual average, she said.
Murphy said that’s why the district doesn’t want to make staffing changes in October. And without adding in enrollment numbers for excluded programs, it’s tough to get a complete picture. According to OSPI data, the Olympia School District had 9,717 students enrolled during the 2023-2024 school year.
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