Education
CPS Enrollment Drops by 9,000 Students After Back-to-Back Years of Gains
(WTTW News)
After back-to-back years of enrollment growth for the first time in more than a decade, Chicago Public Schools on Thursday announced it has seen a drop in the district’s number of students for the new academic year.
Interim CPS CEO Macquline King on Thursday said the district’s 20th day enrollment — which represents the official count for each year — for the 2025-26 year stood at 316,224 students. That marks a decline of around 9,000 kids compared to last year.
CPS said that decrease was caused in large part by a “significant drop” in the number of new enrollees, while the number of students leaving the district remained relatively consistent.
“Districtwide enrollment has steadily declined over the past decade, from 396,683 students in 2014,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement. “This trend reflects national and local factors, including declining birth rates, shifts in global and domestic migration, and the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Last year’s modest enrollment gains were driven largely by increased numbers of Latino students and kids in first through fifth grades, though enrollment increased for almost all racial and ethnic groups.
According to CPS, enrollment this year declined across most grade levels and student groups, with the largest decreases recorded by Latino and Black student groups, who combine to make up a majority of the CPS student body.
The district said Latino enrollment declined from 153,820 last year to 146,862 this year, while Black student enrollment decreased from 111,252 to 108,380.
CPS did report increases in enrollment among White, Asian and multiracial students, as well as those with disabilities.
The district said it was “encouraged” by a slight increase in student attendance over the first weeks of the new school year, with district-run and non-district-run schools reporting an overall attendance rate increase from 92.3% last year up to 92.6% this year, with gains across nearly all student groups.
“CPS remains committed to providing every student with a high-quality education,” the district spokesperson said, “and will continue to adapt and respond to enrollment trends in order to best serve our communities.”
