MISSOULA — It was anticipated by many that school enrollment would be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in Montana that has turned out to be true.
Enrollment numbers from the state show that fewer elementary school students have been attending class, while enrollment for high school students has gone up.
State officials have not offered a theory as to why there is a difference between the two levels.
Montana saw a nearly 4% decrease in K-8 public school enrollment and an increase of more than 2% in public high school enrollment. Overall, that was a drop of 1.8%, or 2,749.
Private schools saw a noticeable decrease of 9% losing just over 700 students. Finally, homeschool enrollment was way up, by 62% or 3,600 students.
