Poplar School Seeing Enrollment Decline With Small Kindergarten Class

Poplar’s declining enrollment figures were a topic during a recent school board meeting as the school year begins At the school board meeting, Superintendent of Schools Keith Erickson said the school district’s current enrollment is 781 students. “As our funding is directly tied to enrollment, I’m concerned about our current kindergarten, first and second grade enrollment,” Erickson said trustees.

As of Sept. 9, the current class sizes were 11 for pre-k, 37 for kindergarten, 60 for first grade, 50 for second grade, 46 for third grade and 63 for fourth grade. Erickson said usually there is an average of 60 kindergarten students. Despite holding a kindergarten roundup, the total is only 37 this year. “It’s not the lowest we have been, but it’s certainly something we need to keep an eye on,” Erickson said.

The school district’s largest enrollment figure was 1,031 students in 1999. That total dropped to 730 in 2010, but enrollment bounced back to 941 in 2021. “I’m thinking by looking at the 25-year trend, our enrollment will be back up,” Erickson said. “If we continue to get small kindergarten classes, we will have look at budgets and things like that.”

School officials reviewed a demographic topography regarding the school district’s enrollment trends during the past 40 years.

The report noted that Poplar is approaching its 40-year historical floor for enrollment. “The current decline is steep, unarrested and structurally different from past fluctuations. At the current velocity of 26 students lost per year, Poplar School District will breaks its all-time 40-year enrollment floor within the next 24 months. Strategies for facilities, budgeting and operations must reflect this new baseline reality,” the report reads.

According to the report, Poplar’s current enrollment of 781 students is 41 less than in 2025. The drop marks the sharpest single- year decrease in the modern era.

After an enrollment of 941 in 2020, the figures have decreased to 905 in 2021, 868 in 2022, 855 in 2023, 838 in 2024 and 822 in 2025. Poplar enjoyed steady growth from 19871999 as enrollment increased from 851 students to 1,031 students. Decline was felt during the 20002010 time span as enrollment fell from 1,003 to 743.

In other business during the September board meeting, trustees are considering replacing the current kindergarten playground with a new one. Erickson said the current one is about 30 years old, and the new one will be handicapped accessible. Cost would be about $140,000. The school district recently received a $15,000 donation from Independence Bank. The funds might be used to improve the high school auditorium, but no decision has been made yet.