Colorado, Houston and Other Major Districts Lose Thousands of Students as School Choice and Homeschooling Expand
Public school enrollment has fallen sharply in several large U.S. districts and states — Colorado lost about 10,000 students this year as homeschooling rises statewide, Houston ISD lost roughly 8,300 students this year (more than 16,000 over two years and about 15,000 immediately after COVID) and now enrolls about 184,109, Chicago Public Schools is down nearly 22% since 2011–12, New York City’s traditional public schools have lost more than 117,000 students since 2019–20, and Washington state’s public‑school population is about 50,000 lower than in 2019–20. Officials and analysts point to growing charter, private, virtual and homeschooling options — and policies such as Texas’s new $1 billion universal ESA program — as intensifying competition, prompting districts to cut budgets or add programs to try to lure families back amid concerns about academic proficiency.
📌 Key Facts
- Houston Independent School District (HISD) lost 8,300 students this year, more than 16,000 over the past two years, and Superintendent Mike Miles says the district lost 15,000 students right after COVID who "didn’t come back."
- HISD now enrolls 184,109 students across 274 schools; the district says it has more than doubled the number of A- and B-rated schools in two years, and Superintendent Miles says HISD is explicitly trying to "capture" students who left for charters and believes it can compete with charter, voucher, virtual and private options.
- Texas has enacted a universal school‑choice ESA program with an initial $1 billion, intensifying competition for HISD and other Texas districts.
- Chicago Public Schools enrollment has fallen nearly 22% since 2011–12, and CEO Macquline King reported enrollment decreased across most grades and student groups this year.
- New York City traditional public‑school enrollment has declined by more than 117,000 students since the 2019–20 school year (from over 1,002,000 to about 884,400).
- New York State test scores show nearly half of grades 3–8 students are not proficient in English and math, compounding enrollment concerns in the state’s districts.
- Washington state public‑school enrollment is about 50,000 students lower than in 2019–20; some districts are cutting budgets while others are adding programs to lure back students who chose private schools, homeschooling or other alternatives.
- Officials across major districts attribute enrollment declines to parents seeking other options—charter schools, private schools, vouchers, virtual programs and homeschooling—raising competition for traditional public schools.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- HISD Superintendent Mike Miles says the district lost 15,000 students right after COVID who 'didn’t come back.'
- Houston ISD lost 8,300 students this year and more than 16,000 over the past two years, per Houston Chronicle reporting.
- HISD now enrolls 184,109 students across 274 schools and has 'more than doubled the number of A and B rated schools in just two years,' according to the district.
- Miles says HISD is explicitly trying to 'capture' students who left for charters and believes the district will be able to compete with charter, voucher, virtual and private options.
- Texas has enacted a universal school choice ESA program with an initial $1 billion, intensifying competition for HISD and other districts.
- Confirms Houston Independent School District lost 8,300 students this year, with a district document showing the drop exceeded officials’ expectations.
- Notes Chicago Public Schools enrollment has fallen nearly 22% since 2011–12, with CEO Macquline King saying enrollment decreased across most grades and student groups this year.
- Reports New York City traditional public‑school enrollment has fallen by more than 117,000 students since the 2019–20 school year, from over 1,002,000 to about 884,400.
- Adds that Washington state public‑school enrollment is about 50,000 students lower than in 2019–20, with some districts cutting budgets and others adding programs to lure back students who chose private schools, homeschooling or other alternatives.
- Highlights that New York State test scores show nearly half of grades 3–8 students are not proficient in English and math, compounding enrollment concerns.