DENVER | The Colorado Department of Education reports that public schools in the state recorded their smallest increase in student numbers in nearly 30 years this school year.
The agency says 1,256 more preschool through 12th grade students were counted in October 2018 than the previous year for a total statewide enrollment of over 911,500 students. The increase from the 2017-18 school year was 0.1 percent.
Still, Colorado’s student population has grown in each of the past 29 years. The last decrease was in the 1988-89 school year.
The largest school district in terms of student enrollment is the Denver Public Schools with nearly 92,000 students, followed by Jefferson County Public Schools with about 84,600 and Douglas County School District with about 67,600.
Aurora-region school districts round out the top five largest school districts in the state, according to the state count. The Cherry Creek Schools District, which encompasses parts of Denver and Aurora, is counted at 55,791 students. Aurora Public Schools weighs in at 39,892 students.