Elkhart Community Schools’ consolidation effort is seen as a way to “right size” the district, in response to declining enrollment.
Elkhart Community Schools had more than 13,000 students during the 2015-2016 school year, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education. Now, it’s a little more than 10,200. But there are still more than 13,000 students living in the district whose education is being funded by the state.
Many of those not attending Elkhart Community Schools are going to other public school corporations, with Concord, Middlebury and Penn-Harris-Madison each hosting hundreds of students from the Elkhart district. Others go to charter schools, with 263 attending Premier Arts Academy. Still others attend local religious schools – like Elkhart Christian Academy, Trinity Lutheran School and various Catholic schools – with funding from the state’s voucher system.
Some of those “transfer students” appear to be attending class virtually, either at online charter schools or virtual options offered through other public school districts. Elkhart Community Schools is launching its own virtual school for grades 6 through 12, to try to keep students enrolled in the district.
Since Indiana allocates school funding based on the number of students attending, not the number of students living in a district, declining enrollment means less funding to pay teachers.
Elkhart Community Schools did not immediately respond to WVPE’s interview request. Elkhart Community Schools holds the broadcast license for WVPE.
