When G.M. employment peaked at approximately 80,000 jobs in 1968, Flint schools (K-12) had 46,557 students.
By the fall of 2008, there were just 14,056 students.
Enrollment is projected to dip to 10,432 students by the fall of 2013. That's a 78% decline since 1968. It means that there will only be about 2,500 high-school students in the entire district.
So why is the city agonizing over whether to close Central or Southwestern? With numbers this low and the budget problems that come with plummeting enrollment, shouldn't the city opt for a single high school for Flint?
The enrollment would still be small compared to the biggest high schools in the country, which tend to be more efficient and offer more classes and programs. Here's a list of the largest high schools by enrollment:
1. Belmont -- Los Angeles 5,299
1. Elizabeth -- Elizabeth, N.J. 5,299
3. Fremont -- Los Angeles 5,083
4. South Gate -- South Gate, Calif. 5,020
5. Roosevelt -- Los Angeles 4,940
6. Monroe -- North Hills, Calif. 4,881
7. Los Angeles -- Los Angeles 4,876
8. Bell -- Bell, Calif. 4,855
9. Garfield -- Los Angeles 4,844
10. Lynwood -- Lynwood, Calif. 4,818
11. Long Beach Polytechnic -- Long Beach, Calif. 4,779
12. Judson -- Converse, Tex. 4,778
