Dist. 25 expects stable enrollment

Enrollment in Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 should not change dramatically through 2019, the school board learned this week.

Every few years, the Applied Population Lab in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin does a study for the district.

Several different models are used, with a few predicting modest growth and others showing the population will decline slightly. Currently, there are about 5,000 students in nine elementary and middle schools.

About half the children born to residents of Arlington Heights end up attending kindergarten in district schools five years later, said Sara Lazenby, researcher. She said that's low compared to the Wisconsin schools the lab works with but might be more typical of suburban districts.

It is important for school districts to undertake these studies so they don't get blindsided by big changes in numbers, she said.