Around 3,000 students in Kent ISD disappeared from their schools with no explanation this past fall. Since then, schools have searched for where they may have gone, tasked with ensuring these students still receive an education.
COVID-19 played a large role in the decline of enrollment numbers, causing many concerned families to begin home-schooling or transfer their students to a private school. Other students simply disappeared.
However, Director of Student Analytics and State Reporting, David Parmerlee, reported a slightly different story for Northview. He said that each grade did see a decline, but when compared with previous years and similar Kent County districts, Northview High School’s enrollment numbers have remained relatively stable in the 2020-2021 school year.
“This change in enrollment reflects the unknown surrounding this school year,” Parmerlee said. “With the pandemic arising [last year], definitions of “safe” varied greatly among families because no one knew what to expect.”
Principal Mark Thomas added that Northview is a “land-locked” district, with “very little land availability to build new homes.” Northview residents have a habit of remaining in the area throughout their students’ education, meaning the Northview Public Schools have an advantage when it comes to receiving funding for higher enrollment numbers.
There still are some students who do choose alternative options like homeschooling, and a few may leave without letting the school know. Superintendent Dr. Scott Korpak explained their process for when a student does not return to school in the fall.
“Whenever a student transfers to a different school, their new school must submit what is called a request for records from their previous school,” Korpak said. “It’s a huge red flag in the fall if we don’t receive one and the student doesn’t return from the previous spring.”
In those cases, Korpak said “our staff works with Deputy Allen, the truancy office at Kent ISD, and sometimes Child Protective Services, to find the student.”
Korpak believes Northview High School’s relative stability of enrollment numbers reflect such dedication towards their students and the rich opportunities made available.
“It is a place where students want to be,” Korpak said. “They know their teachers want them to be there, and that they want them to succeed.”
