Enrollment and Consolidation
Pupil enrollment in Forbes Road School District is in the bottom 5% of Pennsylvania school districts. Pennsylvania has experienced a steady decline in population.
A study was done in 2004, examining consolidating Forbes Road School District with neighboring Tussey Mountain School District. It was estimated that over $1.6 million dollars in savings would be achieved. Additionally, the study examined a consolidation with Central Fulton School District with annual savings in the hundreds of thousands dollars. The study noted that consolidation could significantly decrease administrative costs for both communities while improving offerings to students. Consolidation of school district administrations does not require the consolidation of schools.
Over the next 10 years, rural Pennsylvania school enrollment is projected to decrease 8 percent. The most significant enrollment decline is projected to be in western Pennsylvania, where rural school districts may have a 16 percent decline. More than 40 percent of elementary schools and more than 60 percent of secondary schools in western Pennsylvania are projected to experience significant enrollment decreases (15 percent or greater). From 2000 to 2008, the number of births in rural Pennsylvania decreased 2 percent. From 2000 to 2030, projections show an 8 percent decline in the number of rural women in their prime childbearing years. Statewide, there are 187 districts that are projected to have an enrollment decline of 15 percent or greater. Geographically, these districts are clustered in western Pennsylvania and in the state’s northern tier.
Pennsylvania has one of the highest numbers of school districts in the nation. In Pennsylvania, 80% of the school districts serve student populations under 5,000, and 40% serve less than 2,000. Less than 95 of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts have enrollment below 1250 students, in 2007.
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