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Story by: Blythe Bernhard

UNIVERSITY CITY — Malani Westbrook attended a Catholic girls high school her freshman year but transferred to University City High School this fall because it has more Advanced Placement, elective and college credit courses.

“There are so many amazing things that the district offers,” said LaShanda Jackson, Malani’s mother. “She could graduate with an associate’s degree. Her long-term goal is medicine, so that is huge in terms of savings of financial impact and time.”

The School District of University City is one of only a handful of local school districts that have grown since the start of the pandemic. The high school alone added 87 students over last year’s enrollment.

Most districts have plateaued or lost fewer students this year amid an overall downward trend in enrollment. Since the fall of 2019, public schools have lost 5,500 students in St. Louis County and nearly 3,000 in St. Louis city. Schools in St. Charles County are down by 828 students. Fox School District, the largest in Jefferson County with 10,400 students, has dropped from 11,000.

Statewide, public school enrollment has fallen by 20,000 students, or 2%, in four years to about 860,000, according to preliminary figures for 2023-2024 released this month by the state education department. A sharp drop in students was expected after the pandemic forced schools to move online. But in the years since, the failure to rebound has become a financial issue as the pandemic relief funds dry up. 

Many private schools are also struggling to fill seats. The Archdiocese of St. Louis is expected to announce closures and mergers among its 82 grade schools by the end of the year.

Three area districts report declines of 10% or more in their student populations over the last four years — Hancock Place, St. Louis Public Schools and Valley Park — along with the five charter schools: Biome, Confluence, Momentum, North Side Community and St. Louis Language Immersion School. Five other charter schools have closed and four have opened in St. Louis since 2019, as combined enrollment dropped by nearly 400 over that time.

The phase-out of voluntary desegregation busing for Black students in St. Louis has contributed to enrollment declines in the county, said Kevin Carl, superintendent of Hancock Place, which has shrunk by 18%since 2019 to 1,157 students.“This is something we have known about and have been planning around for years,” Carl said. The south St. Louis County district “will adjust our future staffing needs accordingly while maintaining our commitment to robust program offerings and supportive services for our students and community.”

Only two districts in St. Louis County, Bayless and University City, have surpassed their pre-pandemic enrollment by 1% or more. Orchard Farm in St. Charles County is the region’s biggest winner, with 18% growth to 2,300 students this year. Among charter schools, City Garden Montessori has grown the fastest, more than doubling its enrollment to 459 students.

Even school districts popular with families like Webster Groves continue to see losses, down 7%to 4,172 students since 2019. Residents in the Kirkwood School District voted down a $70 million bond issue in 2020 that would have included a new elementary school for projected growth. The district has since declined by 65 students.

Enrollment in SLPS stabilized this year at 16,542 in kindergarten through high school following a 14% pandemic drop. Still, more than 20 schools have fewer than 200 students, considered a benchmark for long-term viability. 

The principal of University City High School said continuous improvements in academics, behavior, attendance and graduation rates have helped attract new students. The school’s 13 AP courses equal those offered at John Burroughs School, according to the College Board.

“I think people are beginning to see that we have very strong, quality academic and career-based opportunities for our students that rival our private schools in the area,” said Michael Peoples. “Not only am I the principal, I’m also the proud father of twins who are seniors. We made a personal decision to bring our children here to University City High School versus a private school, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.”

Josh Renaud of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.