Arizona public school enrollment rose this year

More people are going to public school in Arizona this year than during the previous school year.

The Arizona Department of Education has released its school enrollment statistics for the 2021-2022 school year, and total public school enrollment increased by about 20,300 students (1.8%) compared with the 2020-2021 school year.

The state experienced gains in its district schools, where enrollment increased by 2.57%. Charter schools, however, experienced a slight dip in their enrollment (0.62%).

Large gains in enrollment were made among English language learners. Enrollment for ELL students increased by nearly 11% compared with the previous year.

The Arizona Department of Education said parents unenrolled their children from public schools at the start of the COVID-19. However, the department was happy to see students returning.

"These official enrollment figures show that students are returning to public school classrooms after last year's drop in enrollment," Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said in a news release. "Statewide and local re-engagement efforts were clearly successful in helping students return to the classroom this school year. And while we have more work to do to fully return our student counts to pre-pandemic levels, the trend is now moving in the right direction. It is imperative for the state to be laser-focused on providing resources to classrooms and recruiting and retaining qualified educators to meet the needs of our students."

The Department of Education touted its efforts to allow students to safely return to in-person learning and the state funding for social workers and counselors at school districts to improve students’ mental health.