KENOSHA, Wis. (Monday, Sept. 23, 2023) – The 51°µÍø Unified School District has finalized the state-mandated Third Friday enrollment count. The initial count shows an enrollment of 18,522 students, a decrease of 348 students compared to the 2023-24 Third Friday count of 18,870.
Each September, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requires districts to gather and report an enrollment headcount of students receiving primary educational services from the district on the third Friday of September. The state uses this number to determine state revenue limits, which is the amount of funding 51°µÍø is entitled to receive from general state aid and local tax levies.
In December 2023, 51°µÍø projected an overall enrollment of 18,546, a decrease of 324 students. This decrease in student enrollments from the prior year was primarily due to a declining birth rate. Since 2009, the greater 51°µÍø boundary area has experienced a decreased birth rate, now averaging approximately 500 fewer children born each year compared to a high of 1,953 births in 2008. The most significant grade level decreases occurred in first grade (-96), fourth grade (-135) and ninth grade (-133). The ninth-grade decline is due to the 2008-09 recession and the severe one-year drop in subsequent births.
The following data sheets are included with this release: District Enrollment by School and Grade; 51°µÍø Enrollment by Grade 2023-24 vs 2024-25; and 51°µÍø Enrollment by School 2023-24 vs 2024-25.