Idaho's K-12 public school enrollment trending down for second consecutive year

Idaho’s K-12 public school enrollment could decline for the second consecutive year.

The Idaho State Board of Education this week released fall 2025-26 enrollment data from public school districts and charter schools. Statewide, enrollment is down 3,042 students, a 1% decrease from last school year.

Declining enrollment in traditional public schools — particularly large districts — is driving the statewide dip. District enrollment went from 271,562 in the spring to 268,282 this fall, a 1.2% decrease. Public charter schools, meanwhile, have added 319 students since last school year, a 0.8% increase.

Fall enrollment is a snapshot in time, and the number will change by the end of the school year. In 2023-24, for instance, fall data showed a year-over-year decline, but enrollment had increased by the spring. In 2024-25, fall data showed an increase, which turned into a decrease by spring.

Still, the data highlights a trend. After rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic, K-12 enrollment has plateaued the last few years. If the 2025-26 enrollment decline holds by the end of the school year, it will be the second consecutive year enrollment dips and just the fourth drop-off since the late 1990s.

State superintendent Debbie Critchfield said Wednesday that the enrollment data “tells a more complex story than a simple reduction in students.”

“In large part, families are still choosing public education, but they’re choosing it in different forms,” she said by email. “The continued growth in charter schools shows that families value options within the public system.”

Click here to see enrollment changes from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025 in each school district and charter school.

Idaho isn't alone; enrollment is declining nationwide. Between fall 2019 and fall 2023, public school enrollment dropped from 50.8 million to 49.5 million, a 2.5% decrease, according to The 74. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an existing downward trend, The 74 reported, but that's not the only factor. The U.S. birth rate is at an all-time low.

In Idaho, demographics also play a role in public school enrollment, Critchfield said. In addition to a declining birth rate, many people moving to Idaho don’t have school-aged children, and rising housing costs “have made it harder for young families to stay or settle in Idaho, which contributes to smaller kindergarten cohorts,” she said.

“Districts across the state report more families are delaying kindergarten starts since the pandemic, and many are seeing those students appear later, often in middle school grades, so we anticipate some rebound over time,” Critchfield said. “In short, Idaho’s public education system is adjusting to demographic realities while still meeting the diverse needs of families who continue to choose public schools in new and evolving ways.”

Meanwhile, states like Idaho have expanded state-funded alternatives to traditional public schools — both public and private options. This year's fall enrollment shows that Idaho charter schools continue to grow. And state lawmakers this year enacted a $50 million tax credit program that subsidizes private school tuition and home-schooling expenses.

Idaho doesn't track private school enrollment or the number of students who are home-schooled. The Idaho State Board of Education estimated this year that nearly 18,000 students attend private schools. The State Board did not estimate how many children are home-schooled.

Most large school districts have declining enrollment

Eight of the state's 10 largest school districts had declining enrollment between fall 2024 and fall 2025.

Top 10 and bottom 10: School district enrollment

These are the top 10 school districts for enrollment growth between fall 2024 and fall 2025.

These are the bottom 10 school districts for enrollment growth between fall 2024 and fall 2025.

Top 10 and bottom 10: Charter school enrollment

These are the top 10 charter schools for enrollment growth between fall 2024 and fall 2025.

These are the bottom 10 charter schools for enrollment growth between fall 2024 and fall 2025.

EdNews data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report. 

Originally published by Idaho EdNews.