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CPS Enrollment Drops By Nearly 11,000 Students, Final Count Shows

By  Heather Cherone and Tanveer Ali | October 24, 2016 5:55am 

 Chicago Public Schools' student enrollment dropped by 2.8 percent this year compared with last, according to the district's final enrollment count.
Chicago Public Schools' student enrollment dropped by 2.8 percent this year compared with last, according to the district's final enrollment count.
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DNAinfo/Wendell Hutson

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools' enrollment dropped by 2.8 percent since last year, a loss of almost 11,000 students, according to the district's final enrollment count.

The enrollment drop prompted district officials to lay off 140 teachers and 109 members of schools' support staffs earlier this month.

CPS enrollment dropped from 392,285 during the 2015-16 school year to 381,349 this year for a total drop of 10,936 students, district officials said.

The drop in enrollment was steeper than CPS officials anticipated. In July, officials said they expected the district's enrollment to drop by just 5,240 students.

In all, Chicago schools have seen their budgets slashed by $170 million since September 2015, according to data released by the district.

But 116 schools where those cuts "would prevent them from offering critical academic programming" will get an additional $12.8 million, district officials said.

"Protecting classrooms and offering Chicago's students a strong academic experience is one of the most important things that we adults can do for children," CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said. "This approach prioritizes classroom resources so that teachers, principals and students can continue their remarkable upward trajectory."

Schools got about 7 percent less this year for each student in kindergarten through 12th grade compared with last year, officials said.

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