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Chicago Public Schools enrollment has dipped to roughly 313,000 this fall — a decrease of about 12,000 students, assuming preliminary data analyzed by Chalkbeat holds steady until the 20th day of school on Sept. 15 when the district takes its official count.
The early numbers, which are posted publicly on the CPS school profiles and updated daily based on the district’s student record system, show drops in the number of English language learners and Black students.
In a statement, the district said it would not comment on the preliminary numbers.
“CPS anticipates that enrollment numbers may shift somewhat in the coming weeks, as late registrations and student mobility continue to affect totals,” the district said. Last year, district officials provided early figures on overall enrollment as of the 15th day of school.
An influx of migrant students brought a modest enrollment boost the past two years after years of steady losses that had left CPS with about 70,000 students fewer than a decade prior. Now, with migrant family arrivals to Chicago waning and an immigration crackdown under the second Trump administration, that reprieve in enrollment losses appears to have been temporary.
In other ways, the preliminary enrollment numbers show a continuation of trends that have been underway for years in the district, which during the COVID-19 pandemic lost its status as the country’s third-largest and dropped to fourth.
Chalkbeat’s analysis found Black student enrollment continued to drop, and some schools serving primarily Black students — including ones that have shrunk dramatically over the past decade — were among the hardest hit. Latino enrollment — long on the decline due to slowing immigration, falling birth rates, and gentrification in once-heavily Latino neighborhoods such as Pilsen — fell the most, by more than 5% compared to last year. The district had slight upticks in the number of white and Asian American students.
The number of low-income students also continued to decline based on the preliminary data. These students now represent fewer than 70% of the district’s overall enrollment.
Overall, charter schools, which reported more stable enrollment during the pandemic’s turmoil, experienced sharper enrollment losses: more than 6% compared with about 3% in district-run schools. Some of the most dramatic losses were at four of the five campuses the Acero charter network wanted to close last school year — and which the district intervened to keep open.
District officials and labor leaders have voiced concern that a looming immigration enforcement push and the possible deployment of the National Guard in Chicago by the Trump administration could affect attendance and enrollment in the coming days and weeks. Some think these developments could already be driving down the district’s daily attendance numbers.
Enrollment numbers increased steadily in the first two weeks after the Aug. 18 start of the school year, then started leveling off in week three following Labor Day. Last year, district officials discussed preliminary enrollment as of the 15th day of school at a September school board meeting.
Years of enrollment declines in CPS have contributed to a growing number of very small schools, often in large, aging buildings — an issue that has negatively affected the student experience on some campuses even as it has pushed up their per student costs.
This fall, high school enrollment, which has been more stable in recent years, decreased by almost 4%, slightly more than elementary enrollment.
Alexandra Ritson, director of learning and engagement at the University of Chicago’s To&Through Project, said the district is up against complex factors affecting enrollment. Many, from immigration policy changes to the rising cost of living in some neighborhoods that have driven low-income families to leave the city, are outside of CPS’ control.
But in recent years, Ritson said, the district has also taken some steps to address a factor it can control: the sense of belonging historically underserved families and students feel in its schools. She pointed to the Black Student Success Plan the district unveiled last spring, an initiative that is the focus of an ongoing federal investigation amid the Trump administration’s assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
“The district is doing a lot to change course and make sure Black students and families have more sense of belonging,” she said.
Fall enrollment numbers so far worry school leaders
CPS officials noted that enrollment won’t affect the district’s 2025-26 budget, given that the state’s funding formula is largely divorced from overall student numbers, instead taking into account a school district’s level of student poverty and the number of students with disabilities.
The number of CPS students receiving special education services, which has remained fairly steady in recent years as overall enrollment dropped, ticked up slightly this fall by several hundred students.
But, if it holds, the drop in low-income students could affect state funding next year: CPS just received a boost this summer after the state again classified it as among the districts with the highest level of needs statewide, also known as Tier 1. The state had designated the district as Tier 2 in 2022 after the number of students living in poverty decreased and the district got a boost in property tax revenue.
Enrollment counts, while still important, are less tethered to a school’s funding after district officials moved away from a practice of revising budgets in the fall based on the number of students who show up at the start of the school year. CPS more recently shifted to a school budgeting approach that grants a minimum number of staff to each campus and directs additional resources based on a school’s level of student needs.
“While it is too early to determine the full budgetary implications, CPS remains committed to maintaining equitable and stable investments in schools and will continue to engage school leaders, families, and community members,” the district’s statement said.
Still, some school leaders who were not authorized to comment publicly told Chalkbeat they are watching the enrollment numbers with concern.
One principal at a majority Latino high school said a marked dip in students this fall set off alarm bells on campus. Thanks to daily home visits and phone calls to families, enrollment has bounced back somewhat since the start of the school year, but remains below what the school projected. The campus lost some teaching and staff positions this fall on the heels of enrollment decreases in recent years.
“I am still reeling from that, and this is another hit I’d have to take next year,” the principal said. “Next year, I don’t know what I’d cut.”
Some families school staff were able to reach said they had moved out of state or out of the country over the summer. A number enrolled in private schools.
The principal said concerned school leaders have been discussing the enrollment numbers.
“Too many kids are not here,” the principal said. “Everyone’s worried about the same thing.”
But another high school principal whose school also saw a drop said the numbers might yet bounce back closer to where they were last year. The campus has also spoken with families who have left Chicago or returned to home countries in Central America.
“We’re not receiving nearly as many newcomers as we have the past two back-to-school seasons,” the principal said. “I am cautious, but I’m not panicking yet.”
Schools reach out to families to boost turnout
José Quiles serves on the local school councils at three Northwest Side schools, including Lyon Elementary, which his grandchildren attend, and Steinmetz College Prep, from which his children graduated. Both schools have faced declining enrollment for years and appear poised for more losses this fall, including over 16%, or about 170 students, at Steinmetz.
Quiles said some migrant families who arrived at the schools in recent years have since moved to the suburbs, which they perceive as more affordable and safer from an immigration enforcement perspective. Some families, including longtime residents whose children were born in the United States, are still keeping them away from school out of fear they might be targeted by immigration agents, Quiles said.
“I tell them, ‘Hey, it’s really important for you to keep your kids in school,’” Quiles said. “But they are afraid.”
But he also said he believes longer-standing factors are at play, from gentrification to the pressure neighborhood schools face from often better-resourced selective enrollment or magnet schools: “I can’t put it all on what’s happening with immigration.”
One charter school, Chicago Collegiate, last week launched a “rapid enrollment push,” with staff going door to door in its Roseland neighborhood, fanning out at local community events, posting on social media, and asking current families to get the word out about the school’s college prep focus. The small sixth through 12th grade school is down 27 students this fall, a nearly 11% decrease compared with last year.
Reena Smith, the school’s director of marketing and development, said the goal is to appeal to families who might be second-guessing their school choice after the first two weeks of the school year. The school also paid for billboards and CTA signs this fall and translated some print marketing materials into Spanish for the first time.
“This is something new we’re trying this fall,” Smith said. “This is our first push on this scale. We’ve done everything.”
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
