Today the Office of the State Superintendent of Education released the Final Enrollment Count for the 2010-2011 School Year. The final enrollment count reveals that the number of students attending DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools jumped by 3.5 percent to 74,997 students this school year, marking the first time that both charter schools and DCPS increased their enrollment.

DCPS enrollment increased by 913 students to 45,631 and public charter school enrollment increased by 1,705 to 29,366. The largest growth occurred in early childhood education. This spike is attributable to your legislative leadership in expanding access to pre-kindergarten education for children in the District of Columbia.

DCPS and public charter schools in the District of Columbia receive funding according to the number of students who are enrolled and the provisions of the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF). The DC Official Code § 38-1804.02 (d) (2) requires an audit that evaluates the accuracy of the fall student enrollment count of the DC public schools and the public charter schools.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education is working with the District of Columbia Public Schools and the Public Charter School Board to finalize enrollment projections for the coming School Year. Those numbers should be released in the coming weeks.