The preliminary Fall student count for the Pierre School District shows enrollment is lower for the 2025-26 academic year.
Superintendent Dr. Kelly Glodt says the elementary school level is where they see the majority of the smaller class sizes.
Glodt says administrators knew a decrease was coming because of last year’s Kindergarten screening.
Glodt says they’re looking into what the cause or causes of the decline in enrollment might be.
With the state education funding formula tied to enrollment, Glodt says the District needs to be planning for upcoming financial challenges.
Glodt recently attended a gathering of the 24 biggest public school districts in South Dakota and said Pierre isn’t alone in having to plan for lower enrollment in the coming years.
Collectively, Glodt says the 24 largest public school districts in the state are down roughly 780 students for the 2025-26 school year.
Comments