DMPS Sees Enrollment Increase for 2016-17
Enrollment at DMPS increased by nearly 400 students for the 2016-17 school year.
Enrollment trends continue to be positive at Des Moines Public Schools.
While many urban school districts across the country have seen enrollment declines in recent year, DMPS has grown by nearly 400 students over the past year, now totaling just under 33,000 K-12 students.
Certified enrollment figures recently released for the 2016-17 school year show DMPS experienced 1.2 percent growth since last school year, and a 5.6 percent increase in enrollment over the past ten years. Enrollment also increased at all three levels of schools this year: elementary, middle and high.
This school year 59.5% of the student body are students of color and just over one out of five students are English Language Learners.
The following table compares the K-12 enrollment and demographics between the current school year and last year:
| 2015-16 | 2016-17 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Enrollment | 32,582 | 32,979 | +397 |
| DEMOGRAPHICS (K-12) | |||
| Free and Reduced Lunch | 74.8% | 70.3% | -4.5% |
| English Language Learners | 20.6% | 21.0% | +0.4% |
| Special Education | 15.1% | 13.7% | -1.4% |
| White | 42.0% | 40.4% | -1.6% |
| Hispanic | 25.0% | 25.7% | +0.7% |
| African American | 18.3% | 18.8% | +0.5% |
| Asian | 7.7% | 7.8% | +0.1% |
| Multi-Racial | 6.4% | 6.5% | +0.1% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% | +0.1% |
State funding for public education is based, in large part, on a school district’s certified enrollment.
Click here to download a spread sheet of the district’s current enrollment report.
