Enrollment in Ames Up for the 2019-2020 School Year

Certified enrollment was finalized today. Below is a full write-up with that information, but here are some highlights first:

• Certified enrollment is 4,477 students.
• This is +90.5 from a year ago.
• Open enrollment / Whole Grade Sharing / Tuition In is +330 (we were +329 a year ago)
• The actual number of students served in buildings is 5,102.
• This is +71 students from a year ago. 

Across the state, October 1st marks the official “count day” for certified enrollment, which is the annual report of enrolled resident students used for the Iowa School Finance Formula calculation. For the third year in a row, certified enrollment increased substantially in the Ames Community School District, as did the actual number of students being served in our buildings. 

This year’s certified enrollment was 4,477 students, which is an increase of +90.5 students from a year ago. (See graph below)

The actual number of students served in the Ames CSD is 5,102, an increase of +71 students. (See graph below)

Ames has a number of students who attend from outside Districts. Students who are open enrolled, in Ames due to whole grade sharing agreements, and those who tuition in total 505 students. This compares to 174 students from within Ames who enroll out. This is a net of +330 students. For a historical perspective, the 2011 certified enrollment showed 196 Ames students open enrolling out of the district while 226 neighboring students were opening enrolling in, for a net of +30 students. (See graph below)

Recent enrollment data for the certified count and the actual number of students in our buildings peaked in the mid-1990s, which was followed by a decade of enrollment decline. The actual number of students served in Ames slowly increased in the 2000s, but only recently made a huge jump in the last three years to the point where we are serving more students now compared to the 1990s peak. 

Certified enrollment is used for funding purposes with the state of Iowa. The actual number of students served in Ames reflects students who are also open enrolled into Ames, and this number better reflects enrollment in our District.