TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Fewer students are attending classes at schools in Vigo County and that is causing some concern for district leaders.
Every public school district in the state gets a portion of your tax dollars every year based on the number of students there are enrolled. In September, a month after the start of the school year in Vigo County, there were 14,190 students enrolled within the Vigo County School Corp.
State education workers recounted students this week and found that now only 13,968 students are enrolled, a drop of 222 students. It’s the first time ever the school district has dropped below 14,000 students.
“There is a dollar amount attached to every student that walks through our doors,” said Supt. Dr. Rob Haworth. “More students, more funding.”
The state gives school districts $6,510 a student in state funding. Doing the math, Vigo County Schools stand to lose over $1.4 million in funding because of the drop in enrollment.
To put it in perspective, Indianapolis Public Schools had 26,410 students enrolled in 2019, making it the second-largest school district by enrollment in the state behind Fort Wayne Community Schools (29,404).
According to the latest numbers posted to the Indiana Department of Education’s website, IPS only had 25,611 students enrolled at the start of 2020. That’s a loss of 799 students, and with it — a loss of $5.2 million in state funding.
(PHOTO: Thinkstock)
