Schools

Barrington School Enrollment Projected to Continue Its Slide

Enrollment will drop 17 percent over the next 10 years, according to NESDEC organization.

A 17 percent decline in enrollment is projected for the Barrington schools over the next 10 years. 

Ron Tarro, director of finance and administration, presented that enrollment projection to the Barrington School Committee last Thursday evening, Dec. 19.

The estimate comes from NESDEC, the New England School Development Council, which has been extremely accurate in its year to year projections over the years – within 1 percent give or take, Tarro said.

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“This is probably one of the most critical pieces of data that we use to prepare a budget,” said Tarro.

Next year’s enrollment is projected at 3,256 students, said Tarro. By 2023-2024, enrollment is expected to drop to 2,687 students – or slightly more than 17 percent in a decade.

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When Barrington adds all-day kindergarten, he said, the projected drop in enrollment is not expected to be quite as severe. All-day K is expected to add some children to the study body. 

Building a new middle school also could add more students, he said. Historically, enrollments tend to rise a bit after a school is built. 

Tarro referred to the new middle school in East Greenwich as an example. It boosted enrollment in those grades by a couple of hundred students.

For now though, with no middle school on the horizon, Barrington is faced with the enrollment projection made by NESDEC.


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