KENOSHA, Wis. (Monday, Sept. 18, 2023) – The Kenosha Unified School District has finalized the state-mandated Third Friday enrollment count. The initial count shows an enrollment of 18,870 students, a decrease of 317 students when compared to the 2022-23 Third Friday count of 19,187.
Each September, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requires districts to gather and report an enrollment headcount of students receiving primary educational services from the district on the third Friday of September. This number is used by the state to determine state revenue limits, which is the amount of funding KUSD is entitled to receive from general state aid and local tax levies.
In December 2022, KUSD was projecting an overall enrollment of 18,826, a decrease of 361 students. This decrease in student enrollments from the prior year was largely based on a decreasing birth rate. Since 2009, the greater KUSD boundary area has experienced a decreased birth rate, now averaging approximately 500 less children born each year compared to a high of 1,953 births in 2008. The largest grade level decreases occurred at kindergarten (-105), third grade (-118) and eighth grade (-160). The eighth-grade decrease is due to the 2008-09 recession and severe one-year drop in subsequent births.
Included with this release are the following data sheets: District Enrollment by School and Grade (PDF); KUSD Enrollment by Grade 2022-23 vs 2023-24 (PDF); and KUSD Enrollment by School 2022-23 vs 2023-24 (PDF).