Housing growth, career tech changes drive enrollment up at some local schools

On average, public school enrollment in Ohio has dropped by 2.3% between the 2019-2020 school year and 2023-2024. Statewide, for all public, private and charter and other schools except homeschooling, enrollment has dropped from about 1.7 million kids in the 2019-2020 school year to about 1.65 million in the 2023-2024 school year, according to ODEW data.

Locally, the median school district in the Dayton area also saw an enrollment drop between 2% and 3% in that span. So who are the outliers that are growing?

Career tech growth

Local career tech centers have all seen significant growth. The Greene County Career Center, Upper Valley Career Center and the Miami Valley Career Tech Center have seen explosive growth since 2020.

More interest in career tech education and significant investment from the state have been factors in why there’s so many students now flocking to career tech education.

The Greene County Career Center, which opened a new building in July 2020, has seen the greatest increase in enrollment for career tech centers in the area, according to a Dayton Daily News analysis. Enrollment has increased by about 36%. MVCTC also did a major taxpayer-funded facility expansion to be able to serve more students.

“The Greene County Career Center has had to pivot in multiple directions to accommodate the increased interest in career technical education in Greene County,” said GCCC Superintendent Dave Deskins. “In addition to adjusting and adding staff to provide academic instruction and student supports, we have increased program offerings and expanded existing programming.”

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

The GCCC and MVCTC also have satellite programs in local school districts that can accommodate programs for students when there isn’t enough space at the career tech center. Deskins said the GCCC is discussing further expansion with two districts now for the 2025-2026 school year.

“We are also considering additional property purchases as expansion appears to be imminent based on student demand,” Deskins said.

Traditional school districts

Bethel Local in southern Miami County is the fastest-growing traditional public school district in the region with a 22% increase in enrollment and 348 students added between the 2019-2020 school year and the 2023-2024 school year, according to state data.

Bethel’s rapid growth is due in part to continued housing expansion at the Carriage Trails subdivision in Huber Heights. New homes have been built in the northern part of the development in Miami County, where the students attend Bethel, not Huber Heights.

Superintendent Michael Nutter said with the many housing developments in the area and people continuing to sell land to developers, he expects more students to continue enrolling in the district.

“The challenge is space, capacity and resources,” Nutter said.

Bethel’s new elementary school building is already full, Nutter said, and there are discussions about adding staff and expanding into what is currently used as the board of education office, which has empty space on the top floor.

Nutter, who was initially hired as an interim superintendent and recently accepted the job through the 2028 school year, said the district plans to work on a strategic plan and discuss space solutions while being careful with the taxpayers’ money.

“I think a lot of people move here because they like the school system,” Nutter said.

Already big, and growing

Lakota Local Schools have been growing rapidly, adding almost 7% enrollment growth between 2019-2020 and 2023-2024, and adding more than 1,000 students.

Lauren Boettcher, spokeswoman for the district, said the addition of 1,092 students in that span has not been a huge stress to the district.

“Lakota’s enrollment has been as high as 18,500 students at one time, so we find creative ways to work within the space constraints that we have,” Boettcher said.

The district is evaluating its buildings and attendance zones, Boettcher said, because some of the buildings in Liberty Twp. are aging and the district expects to continue to see an increase in enrollment.

“This is designed to be a long-term plan that ensures Lakota’s buildings meet the future needs of our students in the most fiscally responsible manner,” Boettcher said. “While this plan is in development, however, we have had to make some minor adjustments to attendance zones to avoid extensive overcrowding in some buildings.”

Fastest growing schools

The list contains several individual charter schools that had as few as 100 or 200 students, where even a small increase in enrollment creates a large percentage gain.

** increase is between 2021-22 and 2023-24, because they opened in 21-22.

Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce report card data