State legislative committees are convening (virtually) this week for work group meetings. At these meetings lawmakers hear from invited speakers to help inform their work on issues they are likely to take up in the upcoming legislative session (slated to start in early January).
Because school funding formulas are tied to official student headcounts in each district, the extent to which COVID19 has impacted enrollment over the past year is certain to play a significant role in shaping the legislature’s work on the state budget this year.
Here’s a list of area school districts we generally follow at EEN and their percentage enrollment drop from October 2019 to October 2020 provided as part of the agenda at the Senate Ways & Means work session meeting. You can find the complete listing of all districts at this link; it is sorted from highest enrollment drop (as a percentage) to lowest.
FTE Enrollment October 2019 and October 2020
| District/State | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | Change | % Change |
| Washington state | 1,077,947 | 1,038,553 | (39,394) | -3.7% |
| Riverview | 3,236 | 2,959 | (277) | -8.6% |
| Mercer Island | 4,332 | 4,052 | (280) | -6.5% |
| Issaquah | 20,242 | 19,140 | (1,102) | -5.4% |
| Snoqualmie Valley | 6,923 | 6,582 | (341) | -4.9% |
| Bellevue | 20,101 | 19,242 | (859) | -4.3% |
| Everett | 19,936 | 19,227 | (710) | -3.6% |
| Lake Washington | 30,642 | 30,060 | (582) | -1.9% |
| Northshore | 22,639 | 22,312 | (327) | -1.4% |
