As schools across the East Valley grapple with enrollment loss, shifting demographics may be only part of the story.
Many districts cite declining birth rates as a major driver of enrollment loss, but San Francisco-based research firm BeSpoke Economics said school choice is compounding the issue, with districts losing a larger share of students even in areas where the population is stable or growing.
“Choice boils down to just a few basic questions: where are the kids, and how many choose you? … Enrollment is not just driven by demographics, but also by school choice,” said Bespoke Economics co-founder Matthew Hom, PhD…