There are fewer students in Iowa’s public K-through-12 schools this year compared to last. Enrollment this fall is one-half a percent lower than last year’s. Just over 487-thousand kids are attending Iowa’s public schools. About two-thirds of Iowa school districts reported enrollment losses; a third reported enrollment gains. Waukee, a western suburb of Iowa’s capitol city, had the largest enrollment jump, with over 300 more students in class this fall. Three other suburban Des Moines schools were among the top-growing school districts in Iowa — Ankeny, Johnston and Southeast Polk — but Dubuque recorded the second-largest gain in students. Meanwhile, the Des Moines school district was among those reporting the largest student losses in the state, along with Burlington, Sioux City, Fort Dodge and Mason City.
