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Nearly 500 more students were in attendance on Count Day in the Detroit school district this year compared to last, according to early data.
The numbers are crucial for determining how much state funding the Detroit Public Schools Community District will receive. The early data suggest that the district’s efforts to ramp up enrollment and reduce chronic absenteeism have paid off with incremental gains.
On Wednesday, 45,388 students attended school in the district compared to 44,893 last school year, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told Chalkbeat.
The numbers are preliminary, as districts are able to add some students who attend school within a certain period after Count Day.
Monique Bryant, a school board member, told Chalkbeat the increase in Count Day attendance this year is a move in the “right direction.”
Bryant said she and Vice Chair LaTrice McClendon made an effort this year to ensure parents’ questions about the enrollment process were answered and that logistical issues were resolved promptly by staff members. The two board members answered calls and emails themselves and worked with Vitti and administrative staff to make sure each concern was addressed.
“This is a direct reflection of the work we have done,” Bryant said of the numbers.
Michigan public school districts tally the number of students in attendance on two days each year. The count helps the state determine the amount of per-pupil funding districts will receive the following fiscal year. Count Days are held on the first Wednesday of October and the first Wednesday of February.
The foundation allowance of per-pupil funding will be $10,050 per student this school year, according to a state budget approved Friday morning that still awaits Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature.
Michigan districts that serve higher rates of students from low-income families, such as the Detroit district, have received more weighted funding from the state to support children with higher needs since 2023. This school year, the Michigan legislature approved a 25% increase in at-risk funding compared to the last.
In the last 20 years, DPSCD has lost more than 92,000 students. Many factors played a role in the drop, such as population declines in the city, lower birth rates, the state’s emergency management of the district, and the pandemic.
Enrollment declines over the years have led to underutilization of many school buildings. A recent district report found the high per-pupil cost for operating19 small schools is creating funding challenges.
In June, the district outlined potential solutions that included merging schools and phasing out the use of some buildings.
Increasing enrollment has been a top priority of the district for years. This summer, it spent more dollars to market to prospective families, send people to canvas communities, and nearly doubled the number of community events hosted at neighborhood schools.
Bryant and McClendon pushed the district to improve its marketing and have asked Vitti for reports to determine what’s working.
In recent years, DPSCD has focused on retaining students. Vitti said at a board meeting in August the school system has “done a fairly good job” in attracting new students, adding that the main challenge is keeping them.
Bryant said she and other members of the board will continue to regularly assess enrollment and attendance data to refine the methods the district is using to attract and keep students.
“One of the things I think has been a detriment to the district is that we have not told our story,” said Bryant. “We have far more academic programs, resources, and wraparound services compared to our competitors. Too much of that is not being shared broadly enough for parents.”
The board member said moving forward, she will push for changes that will better serve the district’s population of students who have to move to new neighborhoods frequently due to economic and housing constraints.
“We have to make sure students know all the resources they have in one school will follow them to the next,” she said.
The full impact of the district’s recruitment and retention efforts won’t be known until the end of the school year, officials say.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
