Amherst Schools Enrollment Is Trending Downward

Despite the optimistic hopes that SAU39 enrollment will increase, the reality is that enrollments have been and are trending downward.  Observe the following table for enrollments, excluding pre-K, of the Amherst School District.

*Disclosures:

• Enrollments for Clark and Wilkins Schools prior to 2010 were reported to the NH DOE as separate.  Also, prior to 2010, there were about 75% of the 1st graders were kept at the Clark School.  The above chart takes that into consideration from 2010 to 2016.

• From 2008 to 2016, kindergarten was half-day.  From 2017 until the present, kindergarten is full-day requiring twice as many class rooms, teachers, and paras.

• Pre-kindergarten is ignored because it is not required by the NH statues.

It should also be acknowledged that the Mont Vernon School District has begun exploring the feasibility to expand their school district and school to include their 7th and 8th grades.  This may also impact the tuition agreement of their approximately 70 students to the Amherst Middle School.  This has the potential to reduce the enrollment at the Amherst Middle School accordingly.

The following charts are derived from the above table: