Lower Birth Rates Could Cause Enrollment Issues for Schools

And a lesser discussed — but equally concerning — enrollment cliff is potentially emerging within the K-12 education sector. “And many communities are starting painful discussions of closing schools.”Birth Rate BustBoth K-12 enrollment and the birth rate have been steadily dipping over the last decade. Some argue the birth rate decline is overstated. The Common Sense Institute recently released a study focused on the intersection of those closed schools with the declining birth rate. Economists, educators and demographers vary in their level of concern about the broader ramifications of the birth rate.