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Increasing enrollment size |
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Written by by Kaili Kasparek
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Thursday, 15 October 2009 |
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Enrollment at Grant High School has been on a downward slope for the past five to six years. In the 2004-05 school year, enrollment peaked at 1848 students, but last year the school’s enrollment barely broke 1550. Yet interestingly enough, enrollment is on the rise once again. This year Grant has 1634 students, which is almost 100 more than just last year. The answer to this recent population explosion lies in the freshmen class: it has jumped to 472 students, which is larger than it has been for a long time in Grant High School history.
Statistically, the freshmen class has always outnumbered the other grades at Grant. The main reason for this is because as students get older, they are more likely to drop out. The Grant Student Outcome Summary, a school population survey carried out by the PPS, shows that the number of neighborhood students in the freshmen class has grown 11 percent in the last five years, which is a remarkable figure.
Vice Principal Kim Patterson believes that there are three factors that caused the influx of freshmen this year: “We’ve recruited more heavily from private schools, we are an amazing school, and the recession.” Patterson explains that families are simply not as willing as they once were to invest in a private school education for their children when they could receive a comnparable education at Grant for nearly no cost.
“Academically, we are better,” states a positive Patterson. She does admit that Grant’s facilities are not as outstanding as those of the private schools, but that it “clobbers” other schools with its numerous clubs, groups, and course options. The outstanding Constitution Team, mock trial club, Royal Blues, and one of the best theater programs in the Northwest are all key factors regarding Grant’s recent enrollment spike. One benefit of the growth in enrollment is that the school must hire more faculty; Patterson hopes that Grant’s increase in size will lead to more specialized classes.
It is known that unlike Grant, Portland’s entire student population is not growing, because studies executed by Portland Public Schools prove that overall enrollment continues to decline. This suggests eight-grade students simply have a stronger desire to come to Grant than ever before.
Teachers, parents, and students alike are all wondering whether the population increase will become a trend. For better or worse the future of Grant’s population is difficult to predict, especially given the district’s planned overhaul of the high school system. Even Patterson is unsure of the changes the near future may bring. Nonetheless, although the halls may be exceptionally crowded this year it may be of some comfort to know that the majority of newcomers at Grant are there by choice.
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