Only Wega-Fremont saw an increase in students
By Neil Rhines
New London School District enrollment numbers are down for the fifth straight year, a trend that mirrors most Waupaca County school districts.
Sept. 20 was the third Friday of September count, a statewide measure conducted by districts to determine student numbers.
The count shows New London is down by about 1 percent from last year, from 2,368 students in 2018, to 2,340 students counted this year.
The district’s high-water mark was in 2010, with 2,565 students.
The third Friday count in September is used by the state to determine state education funding for the district.
In Wisconsin, school revenues are tied to state funding based on enrollment numbers and property taxes.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, enrollment in New London is down 6.1 percent since 2014, a difference of 149 students.
Clintonville schools saw the county’s largest decrease, by 10.6 percent (down 148 students).
Weyauwega-Fremont schools, up by 1.2 percent (10 students), saw the county’s only increase in numbers.
Waupaca schools were down by 4.3% (94 students) since 2014.
Overall, student enrollment numbers are down 5.8% across the county, which follows a statewide trend in the state’s smaller, typically less populated districts.
Rural areas represent about 75% of all Wisconsin school districts, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.