A graphic shows the enrollment numbers for the Kenai Peninsula School District from 2016 to 2021. (Graphic by Ashlyn O’Hara)

A graphic shows the enrollment numbers for the Kenai Peninsula School District from 2016 to 2021. (Graphic by Ashlyn O’Hara)

More students return to classrooms, but home-school numbers still up

Dramatic changes are seen in the number of students who have returned in person.

Enrollment at Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools has grown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, district data show. Total enrollment numbers are back over 8,000 after dropping to below that figure during the 2020-2021 school year.

District enrollment totalled about 8,670 in fall 2016, 8,640 in fall 2017, 8,600 in fall 2018, 8,480 in fall 2019, 7,650 in fall 2020 and 8,240 in fall 2021.

Dramatic changes are seen in the number of students who have returned to in-person, or brick-and-mortar schools, as opposed to the number of students enrolled in Connections — the district’s home-school program. That program saw a significant jump in enrollment during the 2020-2021 school year, when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the district to switch between offering classes in person and remotely.

Connections Principal Rich Bartolowits told the KPBSD Board of Education during its Feb. 1 meeting that enrollment in the home-school program had doubled during the 2020-2021 school year. That’s from 875 students during the 2019-2020 school year to 1,777 students during the 2020-2021 year, representing about 22% of all students.

Connections students accounted for about 1,250 of the district’s 8,241 students — about 15% — according to enrollment data collected on Nov. 22. In all, about 380 more students were enrolled in KPBSD than anticipated by the district for the current school year, the data show.

District enrollment data can be found on the district’s BoardDocs website at go.boarddocs.com/ak/kpbsd/Board.nsf/Public.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

The Kenai Peninsula College main entrance on Aug. 18, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Chiappone and Dunstan to speak at the KPC Showcase

Kenai Peninsula College continues its showcase with two new speakers this week and next

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, talks about issues of concern regarding the proposed merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons during a floor speech in the House chamber on Wednesday. (Screenshot from official U.S. House of Representatives video feed)
Begich leads in early results, but Alaska’s U.S. House race won’t be immediately decided

About 245,000 ballots had been counted by 11:32 p.m., and Peltola trailed by about 5 percentage points

The Alaska governor’s mansion on Wednesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is considered a contender for a post in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Election summary: Trump wins, GOP takes over U.S. Senate, Alaska may get new governor

Begich and repeal of ranked choice voting narrowly lead; GOP may lose control of state House.

Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 7, 2024. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Voters line up at the polling site at Anchorage City Hall on Nov. 4, 2024. City Hall was one of the designated early voting sites in Alaska’s largest city. It is not a designated site for Election Day voting. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Republicans lose two seats in state House, increasing odds of leadership switch

Rural Alaska precincts had reported few results by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)
Donald Trump returns to power, ushering in new era of uncertainty

He played on fears of immigrants and economic worries to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

A voter is handed as ballot at Woodworth School in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One of the most consequential presidential elections in the nation’s modern history is well underway, as voters flocked to churches, schools and community centers to shape the future of American democracy. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
Trump verges on victory, picking up Pennsylvania

Donald Trump has captured Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of the seven battleground… Continue reading

Signs and supporters line the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Unofficial results for the 2024 general election

Preliminary, unofficial election results as of 9:55 p.m.

Poll worker Carol Louthan helps voters submit ballots at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Bjorkman, Ruffridge, Elam and Vance lead in election night results

Several residents said that they came out to vote because they knew this election was “a big one.”

Most Read