Eagle Point SD 9 reports modest enrollment decline; 18% of student departures coded as attendance drops

District staff presented an enrollment report showing a modest but notable decline in student numbers this year and asked the board to consider targeted follow-up where the district has control. "We're down right now about 45 students from the same time last year," the enrollment presenter said, which staff described as about a 1.2% decrease and approximately 102 students lost since the beginning of the year.

Staff explained the difference between net loss and total departures: one report showed 102 net students lost while a fuller ledger counted 294 students who left district enrollment at some point during the year (the difference reflects new enrollments, program accounting and mobility). Of the total departures staff categorized, about 43% moved out of the district, 15% moved out of state, 3% moved out of country (61% total moves), 10% were recorded as homeschooling, 2% transferred to charter schools, 2% graduated or completed a GED, 2% were in juvenile detention and 18% were recorded as attendance drops (students who did not appear for at least 10 days and whose destination was not otherwise documented).

Amy Sanders (district staff) described reconciled attendance numbers and the process used to verify status: cross-checking ODE lists, homeschool registrations and charter rosters, and then updating school-level tabs. She said initial counts showing 53 attendance-drop cases were narrowed to 30 after reconciliation; staff later found additional students and expect further corrections as they continue outreach.

Board members asked for grade- and school-level breakdowns. The enrollment presenter said those reports can be run and that staff will provide school- and grade-specific data on where losses are concentrated. Staff warned that program enrollments (for example, Kids Unlimited and Crater Lake Academy) and how ODE counts program hours can complicate comparisons; Amy noted KU's enrollment is about 100 and Crater Lake's about 250, which affect totals when included.

Staff attributed part of mobility to rising homelessness and regional factors; Amy said county-level homelessness reporting lags but local youth-service organizations and re-housing programs are seeing increased need. The presenter and Amy told the board that principals and attendance staff perform outreach — including home visits — but staffing changes and training gaps produced a temporary lag in some home-visit activity earlier in the year.

The presentation closed with staff offering to run more targeted analyses (by grade and school) and directors/ principals handling follow-up for students listed as drops; the board thanked staff for the extensive reconciliation work (Amy estimated the report takes 30–40 hours to compile).