This report shows that the Illinois Community College System opening Fall 2024 enrollments had an increase in both headcount (+7.4 percent) and Full-time Equivalent (FTE) (+6.7 percent) from the previous year. The opening enrollments reflect the end of the regular fall registration period which is usually the 10th day of class. The preliminary…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, child care centers hollowed out and enrollment of children across the birth-to-five age range dropped significantly, though many centers survived thanks to federal relief funding. But in California, just as programs began to recover, transitional kindergarten started expanding to a universal early care and education…

There were 866,055 students undertaking government-funded training in Australia in the period January to June 2025. This represents a decrease of 63,320 (6.8%) from the same period in 2024. Student numbers in all states and territories decreased except South Australia, which increased by 2,125 (3.8%) to 57,645. This publication provides a summary…

A new Fordham Institute report argues that post-pandemic enrollment declines will inevitably force districts to make the controversial decision to close some schools. The report then offers policymakers twin criteria of substantial declines in enrollment and chronic low performance as indicators of which schools should be closed first, and it…

Higher education institutions have already begun to see decreasing enrollment numbers, even as higher education enrollment is predicted to drop precipitously starting in 2025. Much of the decrease in enrollment will be driven by demographic trends about which higher education institutions can do little, making the retention of students who do…

This article discusses one part of the data from a larger research project that sought to identify factors that secondary school teachers of design and technology (D&T) in England felt may have contributed to the decline in entries at GCSE level within the subject. This study was designed to ensure the teacher's voice could be heard. Research…

Preceding the 2020-21 school year, school districts engaged their communities by sharing pandemic school reopening plans, outlining the learning modalities and support services to be made accessible to students. Existing research has highlighted a connection between a district's primary reopening method and changes in student enrollment--a crucial…

The fall 2023 and spring 2024 undergraduate enrollment increases, marking the first growth since the COVID-19 pandemic, show signs of a post-pandemic turnaround for higher education. However, a significant share of current undergraduates will eventually disengage from college before earning a degree or other credential. They will join tens of…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to the education sector, and its ramifications have extended far beyond the extended closure of many American schools. Among other things, they include a substantial enrollment decline in a non-trivial number of public schools across the United States, some of which were already experiencing…

While states are often impacted by cost pressures beyond their control, certain state policies can help stabilize school funding from year to year and help school districts maintain stable services during times of declining revenue. This report delves into some of the most pressing conditions contributing to current revenue volatility. It then…

Since most U.S. states rely heavily on per-pupil funding models, projected decreases in school-aged children through 2030 and rapidly expanding private school voucher policies have raised concerns about potentially inadequate public school funding. A recent EdChoice report suggests that such underfunding concerns are overstated. Its rationale is…

Most discussions of higher education research in the last four decades have focused on expanding higher education, including increasing access, equity, and quality. However, the growth of higher education enrolment has slowed in many advanced higher education systems since the achievement of massification, with enrolment declining more…

In 2008 and 2012, Pioneer Institute published reports documenting declines in enrollment in Massachusetts' public schools. At the time, enrollment had fallen by about 35,000 students over a decade, or roughly 0.5 percent per year, with especially large drops in western Massachusetts and parts of Cape Cod. This paper examines enrollment trends…

The COVID-19 pandemic raised many challenges for faculty in higher education systems. The uncertainty, additional work, and burnout that faculty may have experienced early in the pandemic as they transitioned from in-person to online teaching may have led to some faculty leaving academia. The purpose of this study was to explore changes in faculty…

Arizona shifted to using current-year enrollment, instead of prior-year enrollment, as the basis for determining state aid for school districts following the passage of Arizona Education Finance Amendment (AEFA) in 2017. This study examines the short-term effects of AEFA implementation on school inputs--namely, expenditures and district personnel,…