Pennsbury enrollment dips below projections; district outlines kindergarten trends, projections and added personal finance instruction
“You can see declining enrollment across our grade levels,” Dr. Brown said while reviewing school‑by‑school numbers and longer‑term projections developed with the consultant Futurethink. He noted the district is nearly 100 elementary students below projections for 2025–26 and described how consecutive smaller kindergarten cohorts will affect future elementary enrollments.
Nut graph: Why it matters
Lower enrollment affects staffing, classroom counts and long‑term facilities planning. Dr. Brown told the board that while enrollment declines, student needs do not necessarily decline at the same rate; specialized programs and special education placements continue to require staffing and resources.
Details from the enrollment presentation
Dr. Brown summarized enrollment patterns by level: several elementary schools have experienced large outgoing fifth‑grade cohorts and comparatively smaller incoming kindergarten classes; middle‑school sixth‑grade enrollments rose at some campuses; and high‑school headcount remained just under 2,800, with the Pennsbury Cyber Academy rising to 83 students from 57 last year. He said district staff will reconcile the actual 2025–26 counts with the 10‑year projections prepared by Futurethink and update staffing and facilities planning accordingly.
Superintendent follow ups: time change survey and Schoology
Dr. Smith said the district will survey parents, students and staff in October about recent start‑time changes and will repeat the survey in May. He also acknowledged transition challenges from a new learning management system (Schoology) at the high school and said the district will support families and staff through the change.
Personal finance instruction
During the meeting’s concluding segment, Dr. Ricci (administration) said the district now offers a personal finance course at the high‑school level and that starting next school year every ninth grader will take a personal finance course in the second semester to meet Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements.
Public comment and student perspective
Eighth‑grade student Joseph (Joey) Weisner raised health concerns about artificial turf, citing studies he said link turf infill to chemicals and heavy metals; he asked the board to consider safety for players and spectators. Dr. Ricci said administrators would follow up with the student and appreciated his input.
Next steps
District staff said they will continue comprehensive planning over the coming months and will factor the October enrollment counts into staffing and capital planning decisions. The board will receive staffing and achievement reports later in the year as part of the district’s scheduled reporting cycle.
