Enrollment numbers have shown an increase at Mount Vernon this year and a slight decline in students at Lisbon.

Mount Vernon

At Mount Vernon, enrollment numbers increased from 1,388 last year to 1,415 this year.
While the district did offer remote learning at the beginning of this school year, Mount Vernon School superintendent Greg Batenhorst noted many of those remote learners have now returned to in-person learning this year.
“We saw some increases with the class that transitioned from fourth to fifth grade, and saw the same with the class that transitioned from eighth grade to ninth grade,” Batenhorst said. “We don’t know exactly why, but it is interesting that this took place at transition grades from elementary to middle school, and middle school to high school.”
According to Batenhorst, public school attendance across America fell by roughly 5% during the pandemic.
“It does appear maybe some who did not attend schools last year have made their way back to in person learning again this year,” Batenhorst said.
With the increase in housing options in Mount Vernon over the next years, Batenhorst continues to expect the district will see a steady increase in enrollment.

Lisbon

While Lisbon’s number of students in seats saw a slight decline this year, from 725 as reported last year to 712 this year, Lisbon superintendent Pat Hocking notes the district is one he sees as stable.
“Finances are doing really well and facilities have been greatly improved,” Hocking said. “We have above-average standardized test scores to go along with that. Lisbon is a strong school district that will be viable and thriving for a long time.”
Where the district lost students this year was primarily at the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten numbers, which saw a loss of 16 students in alternative kindergarten and kindergarten this year, as well as roughly 11 from AK/kindergarten to first grade. The rest of grades saw slight increases or decreases throughout that evened out to that decrease of 13.
The district continues to see open enrollment into Lisbon being a positive for the school, with a net increase of five students for the district this school year for their certified enrollment count.
“As for future enrollment trends, I see Lisbon staying steady or even increasing some in size,” Hocking said. “Lisbon residents have been very consistent over the years, but our open enrollment in numbers have made a huge positive impact on our budget.”