MOUNTAIN GROWN COMMUNITY RADIO

Disparity In Growth For Colorado Schools

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The Colorado Department of Education has released its statewide look at school enrollment. 

The state's preschool through 12th grade pupil count shows Colorado gained more than 12,000 students this school year. 

There are 889,006 public school student in the state, according to the data.  

Schools on the Front Range, like in years past, have the most pupils.

On the Western Slope, the Mesa County Valley School District is the largest. It ranks 12th in the state.

But, the Mesa County School District has seen enrollment slowly decline over the past six years.

Other districts on the Western Slope like the Montrose County School District and the Delta County School District are also seeing student numbers drop.

The greatest growth was experienced by urban areas. 

Overall, 45 percent of Colorado’s districts experienced declining enrollment this school year, according to the department of education. 

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Laura joined KVNF in 2014. She was the news director for two years and now works as a freelance reporter covering Colorado's Western Slope. Laura is an award-winning journalist with work recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Broadcasters Association, and RTDNA. In 2015, she was a fellow for the Institute for Justice & Journalism. Her fellowship project, a three-part series on the Karen refugee community in Delta, Colorado, received a regional Edward R. Murrow Award.