The two largest public school districts out of the seven in Garland County, Lake Hamilton and Hot Springs, have seen the largest drops in enrollment over the past five years, and school leaders say it is mainly at the elementary-grade level.

According to preliminary enrollment

Students at Hot Springs School District work on a project near the beginning of the school year. Both the Hot Springs and Lake Hamilton school districts have seen a decline in enrollment at the elementary-level grades. numbers in August, Lake Hamilton had 3,920 students. This compares to 4,235 in the 2020-21 school year, for a net loss of 315 students. Hot Springs had 3,493 students, compared to 3,629 in 2020-21, for a loss of 136.

Lakeside School District increased 16 students to 3,429 last month, while Fountain Lake dropped off 108 students to 1,202. Jessieville, with 765 students, fell 36 students over the five-year period. Cutter Morning Star increased by 65 students to 699, and Mountain Pine remained at 609 students.

Hot Springs School Superintendent Stephanie Nehus said even with the loss, their numbers were fairly consistent with last fall. She and Lake Hamilton Superintendent Shawn Higginbotham both said they see a declining enrollment trend in the elementary grades, which Nehus said was surprising.

“It used to be our secondary schools where we would see a drop in enrollment, but we’re seeing that shift. Our secondary schools are holding, or even growing some, and our elementary is where we’ve kind of seen that decline,” she said.

“Last year we really noticed it in kindergarten. There just weren’t as many kindergarten students that enrolled. This year our kindergarten numbers are back up a little bit

more. So now we’re trying to kind of dig in and see if there’s a specific grade level or specific pattern that we can find. We have not found one yet.”

Higginbotham said the smaller kindergarten classes align with the declining birthrates across Arkansas. Additionally, the district saw an approximate 10% increase in homeschool filings.

According to data on the Arkansas Department of Education’s LEARNS Act website on Friday, there were 17,831 applications filed for Education Freedom Accounts, the act’s new voucher program.

“We have noted an increase in homeschool filings; however, since the Education Freedom Accounts under the LEARNS Act are still relatively new and eligibility is currently limited, it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions about their impact on enrollment,” Higginbotham said.

Nehus said Hot Springs had around 150 students file for homeschool this year so far. Many of the students, however, she said, have been home schooling for years.

“When I compare yearto-year, it’s consistently been around that number, so I don’t see any big shift in that. But I have asked my building principals to kind of look through and determine, ‘Are there any patterns?’ ‘Are there any students and families that we could reach out to just to get some more information that can help us in providing a better experience for their children or future students of ours?’” she said.

Higginbotham said that as the voucher program reaches full implementation, he expects to have a clearer understanding of its effects on enrollment trends.

The state foundation funding rate for all public schools this year is $7,771 per student. Factoring in additional sources of revenue, many restricted to specific spending categories, Lake Hamilton’s overall funding averages approximately $12,000 per student, according to Higginbotham.

“In the near term, we will continue to benefit from smaller class sizes and favorable student-teacher ratios, which enable more personalized learning experiences for our students,” he said. “Looking ahead, one of our primary goals is to ensure that parents and families are fully aware of what makes Lake Hamilton stand out among other educational options.”

Higginbotham said nearly 70% of the district’s students in kindergarten through second grade read at grade level by the end of the academic year. In addition, the school’s Career and Technical Education program offers 14 distinct pathways for secondary students, leading to industry-recognized credentials, postsecondary study, military enlistment, or immediate employment.

“This level of career preparation is unmatched by any other district in our area,” he said.

Regardless of enrollment, both he and Nehus said their districts’ commitment remains the same, which is to provide the best possible educational experience and ensure each student is prepared for the next level.