Much of the enrollment growth in Kansas City Public Schools came from the Northeast and from students who are learning English(Getty Images).
After decades of plunging enrollment, Kansas City Public Schools is setting a new trend. The number of students is ticking upward.
For the third year in a row, the district’s enrollment count in late September ran higher than the previous year. Preliminary figures show KCPS added 570 K-12 students since the official count day last year, about a 4% increase.
That leaves it with more than 14,000 students for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic helped bring enrollment to a low point. Including pre-kindergarten students, it has more than 15,000.
With growth come changes in whom the district serves.
Black students, who made up about 58% of the district during the 2024-15 school year, dipped below the majority this year to about 46% of pre-K-to-12 enrollment. Hispanic students represent an increasing share of the district, more than a third this year.