PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Department of Education released its annual report card on public schools today, and as expected, the pandemic hit students hard.
Enrollment in public schools was down more by more than 20,000 students in the 2020-2021 school year. Class sizes dropped, particularly in elementary schools, where the median number of students fell from 24 to 20 over two academic years.
The number of ninth graders on-track to graduate in four years declined by 11.7%, and across every economic and racial demographic.
Some important data is still not available because of pandemic disruptions, including the number of kids on free or reduced lunch programs.