KENOSHA, Wis. (Monday, Sept. 22, 2025) – The 51°µÍø Unified School District has finalized the state-mandated Third Friday enrollment count. The initial count shows an enrollment of 17,799 students, a decrease of 723 students compared to the 2024-25 Third Friday count of 18,522.
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 February 2025, 51°µÍø projected an overall enrollment of 17,904, a decrease of 618 students. The decrease in student enrollments from the prior year was primarily due to a decline in the birth rate. This was also impacted by the expansion of educational options outside of the district. Since 2009, the 51°µÍø boundary area has experienced a decline in the 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 second grade (-115), fifth grade (-150) and tenth grade (-138). The tenth-grade decline is attributed to the 2008-09 recession and the subsequent one-year drop in births.
The following data sheets are included with this release: District Enrollment by School and Grade (PDF); 51°µÍø Enrollment by Grade 2024-25 vs. 2025-26 (PDF); and 51°µÍø Enrollment by School 2024-25 vs. 2025-26 (PDF).