Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
First day enrollment trends in Davenport, Reardan, Harrington and Edwall from 2017-2021
Davenport teacher Kylee Ballance (standing) looks at language arts work done by fifth-graders at Davenport Elementary Wednesday, Sept. 29. Enrollment in the district has risen again this year after a drop last year.
LINCOLN COUNTY-Mandates, pandemics and new curriculum all appear to be influences on enrollment rates, trends and retention numbers across eastern Lincoln County. Each of the four main school districts/schools in the area have seen different enrollment trends over the past five years and have seen numbers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways.
In Davenport, numbers dropped before 2020 but are back to 2017 rates this year. The Reardan-Edwall School District has seen a steady enrollment climb since 2018, while the Harrington School District sharply dropped in enrollment this year. Christian Heritage School, meanwhile, slightly dropped in 2020 before a large enrollment rise this year.
Davenport recovers quickly from pandemic drop
The Davenport School District saw first day enrollment numbers drop from 558 to 523 from 2019 to 2020, but climbed back to 570 for the first day of school this fall.
Superintendent Jim Kowalkowski attributed the '19 to '20 drop to a large 2020 graduating class, the pandemic and an increase in parents who wanted to homeschool.
Conversely, the numbers rose back to 570 this year due to the state making a strong push for in-person learning, he said.
"Statewide, that was a big push," Kowalkowski said. "And we were able to have in-person school last year with just a couple small outbreaks, so that helped."
Kowalkowski also cited some new families moving to the school district and an improving economy as reasons for a jump in first-day enrollment from 2020 to 2021.
"This year seems more normal than last year," he said.
Reardan-Edwall numbers have steadily grown
After a small drop from 2017 to 2018, enrollment numbers in the Reardan-Edwall School District have grown each year, rising from 636 to 677 in 2020 and again to 720 for this fall.
Superintendent Eric Sobotta cited the district's "Options" program instituted in 2020 as a reason for this rise. The remote program had 94 students last year and was changed to an alternative program for this year with 32 students.
The district counted those students in its first day enrollment numbers each year.
Sobotta also said more people are moving into the district from the Spokane area, but said the district is seeing some families opt out in the northeast part of the district that bleeds into Spokane County.
"I do think some people are moving in," Sobotta said. "We also counted our new transitional kindergarten program that has 18 students...we're maxed out in that program this year."
Harrington numbers plummet after pandemic year
The numbers are trending down in Harrington this year after being very steady in 2018-2020. The district had 146 students to start the 2020 pandemic year, but after a year of wearing masks and being split between at-home and in-person learning, only 114 students are back with the district this year.
"This year we are down, mainly due to masking vs. non-masking," superintendent Wayne Massie said. "Last year we fell off quickly after COVID, because people thought there would be other options where they wouldn't have to wear a mask."
Massie said many students went virtual or had families decide to homeschool the children. Vaccination mandates that make substitute teachers hard to find aren't helping, he said.
"We knew the mask mandate would impact us again," Massie said. "That was a struggle for everybody around the state...our numbers have mostly stayed steady, but we knew we'd lose some this year."
Christian Heritage numbers spike this year
Christian Heritage Christian School in Edwall saw the opposite affect this year, with 105 students to start this year after just 69 last year. The school was steadily climbing until 2020, when enrollment dropped by 10, before shooting back up this year.
"This year is a continuation of the growth from two years ago," administrator Mark Perry said. "I think parents are becoming discouraged with what is taught in public schools."
Perry said some families chose to homeschool last year before this year's surge. He said he didn't want to disparage public schools or their employees, but said many parents have opted for a private school option with Christian values following recent sex education laws passed by the state legislature.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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