Richmond school enrollment numbers show increases among Hispanic students and students with disabilities

Richmond Public Schools saw 168 more students this fall than last, continuing what the division says is stable enrollment since the pandemic.

As of Sept. 30, the division had 21,427 students.

Fall membership data from RPS show the biggest increases among Hispanic students — whose numbers rose by 352 between fall 2023 and fall 2024 — and students with disabilities, whose numbers rose by 355 over the same period.

The largest decrease occurred among Black students, whose numbers dropped by 288. An apparent 283-student decrease in English language learners has nearly disappeared in the month since the tallies were made and could be explained by the lag that occurs between a student enrolling in Richmond schools and being screened and identified as an English language learner, said Luke Hostetter, the division’s director of enrollment.

“The shifts noted here both by number and percentage are generally aligned to Richmond population data changes,” he told the School Board Monday night.

Increasing enrollment is one of the 10 goals Richmond Public Schools has set for itself in its five-year Dreams4RPS plan. But officials also track the data to ensure there’s enough space and resources for students at the schools they’re zoned to attend as well as to determine how much money needs to be budgeted.

The task is a tricky one. Families move in and out of Richmond, as well as within the city, throughout the year. Grade sizes vary from year to year. And open enrollment options offered by the division, particularly in upper grades, can scramble conclusions about population growth at particular schools.

Still, 1st District School Board member Liz Doerr said it’s important for the division to try to “parse out what is just normal movement of humans versus maybe they’re opting out of our system for one reason or another.”

The numbers reported Monday come from the Virginia Department of Education’s fall membership count, a snapshot of the number of students enrolled in a division on Sept. 30 of every year. Unlike the “average daily membership” statistic calculated by VDOE every March, the fall membership number includes preschool students.

Schools with the biggest increases in enrollment this year are: