Minneapolis school enrollment is a glass-half-full story

Minneapolis public schools continued to lose students this year, but the decline -- particularly in middle and high schools -- was slower than expected, according to early enrollment data released Monday.

Preliminary tallies from the first two weeks of school indicate about 32,500 students were enrolled, said Jim Liston, Minneapolis' head of student accounting.

The district said it expected to lose 1,600 students this fall but instead lost closer to 500 to 700.

"We didn't see that coming, but it's a positive trend," Liston said. He cautioned, however, that schools will submit official enrollment data to the state after Oct.1.

Minneapolis had expected to lose 900 high school students but early projections indicate the loss will be closer to 300 to 400, Liston said.

District officials attributed the better-than-expected numbers to efforts related to its strategic plan, such as increased academic rigor and building relationships that kept students enrolled continuously during the previous year.

This summer, Minneapolis restructured two of its high schools, hosted a middle-school algebra camp and started a district-wide freshmen retention program.

Deputy Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson said district officials are working to relieve overcrowding in some buildings by the end of the week.

Minneapolis public schools have experienced 5 percent enrollment declines annually in recent years.

The district had 46,000 students during the 2000-01 school year and 33,600 last school year. Districts statewide have dealt with enrollment declines, but Minneapolis' declines have been sharper.

It faces strong competition from charter schools and suburban districts under the state's open enrollment program.

According to the state Department of Education, Minneapolis is the state's third largest district after Anoka-Hennepin (40,000) and St. Paul (39,000).