- Northern had 997 students in 2009. Now it's up to 1,507.
- Southwestern had 1500 students in 2008. Now it's dipped to just 658.
- Northwestern had 540 students in 2006. Now it's at 1,219.
We know that the overall trend is for fewer high school students in Flint as the population drops. And we know that when Central closed last year it had around 900 students, and those that didn't graduate had to go somewhere. But it appears that very few of them went to Southwestern. Was that intentional?
Then there's Powers, with just 598 students, and Beecher with only 400.
If the trends continue, Flint clearly has one public high school in its future. It would work now if the school district had the right facility.
Here's some background info on enrollment from a March 29, 2009 post:
It's difficult for many Flint Expatriates who haven't been back in a while to realize just how much the city has changed over the years. Some basic numbers from the Flint Community Schools Facilities Advisory Committee Report reveal that the school-age population has disappeared along with the G.M. jobs.
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
13. Sachem -- Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y. 4,718
14. Fort Hamilton -- Brooklyn, N.Y. 4,679
15. Felix Varela -- Miami 4,655
16. San Fernando -- San Fernando, Calif. 4,602
17. G. Holmes Braddock -- Miami 4,598
18. Huntington Park -- Huntington Park, Calif. 4,577
19. Marshall -- Los Angeles 4,550
20. Lane Technical -- Chicago 4,527
21. North Hollywood -- North Hollywood, Calif. 4,509
22. John F. Kennedy -- Bronx, N.Y. 4,422
23. Barbara Goleman -- Miami 4,417
24. Wilson -- Long Beach 4,383
25. Robinson Secondary -- Fairfax County 4,378
