Lincoln Junior High struggles with enrollment decline

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Lincoln Junior High in north Fort Collins is losing students faster than any other junior high in Poudre School District, despite the fact that the school wins high praise from both parents and administrators.

Enrollment at the school was 757 in 2002, and it's projected to be 369 next fall. That's a drop of more than 50 percent in five years.

This problem is not lost on PSD administrators, and they're working with Lincoln's staff to try to come up with answers. Jim Sarchet, PSD's executive director of business services, and Manny Ortega, executive director of secondary schools, both point to school of choice as the primary cause of the enrollment drop.

"It's a trend across the United States," Sarchet said. "Parents expect to be able to pick the school that best fits their student. With choice, all of our schools have become more competitive."

Ortega said the Lincoln staff is concerned about the enrollment drop, and the district and school are working together to figure out reasons and to come up with ideas for reversing the trend. Ortega sees a lot of pluses at Lincoln.

"I see really committed people doing some really good things," he commented.

Nonetheless, of the 717 junior high students within Lincoln's boundary area this year, just 379 attend the school. A total of 338 have choiced out to other schools this year, while 87 have choiced in, bringing the current enrollment to 466.

Of those who choice out of Lincoln, the largest number go to Lesher Junior High. Both Lincoln and Lesher have International Baccalaureate programs. Cache La Poudre Junior High in LaPorte is the next largest draw for Lincoln-area students.

Two Lincoln parents interviewed in March have their own opinions about why some families choice out of Lincoln. Susan Frost and Krista Garhart said they think an undeserved reputation as a school with disruptive students has put Lincoln at a disadvantage.

When Frost and her family moved to Fort Collins from Wyoming last summer, her son Nathan wanted a challenging junior high program. The family chose Lincoln, even though it was not their neighborhood school, because of the International Baccalaureate program. Frost said the response from many people about this decision was, "Wow, there are a lot of tough kids at that school."

Frost said she thinks Lincoln's reputation is a long-standing one and may be based on what the school was like decades ago.

"I believe the negative behaviors of kids at Lincoln are not really any different from the other schools in town," she said, adding that the administration at Lincoln is excellent and very proactive about dealing with problems.

Frost, who regularly attends meetings of Lincoln's parent-teacher advisory committee, wonders if there are any class issues involved with some parents not wanting their children to attend the school. The school is diverse, both in terms of race and economic status, but her family sees that as a plus. Frost said her son, a new student at Lincoln this year, was readily accepted and has a lot of friends.

"People say they want diversity," she observed, "but when it is going to affect their family, sometimes they're afraid of it."

Garhart also sees diversity as a positive attribute. "The fastest way to embrace diversity is to experience it," she said. "You have to get to know people, and you find out that everybody has the same goals and desires."

Garhart's daughter Jessi attended Lincoln for two years, and her son T.J. is a seventh-grader there now.

Both women have high praise for Lincoln's teaching staff. "The teachers at Lincoln are as dedicated as they come," Garhart said. She said parents and students within Lincoln's boundaries are missing out on a good thing when they choose to attend another school.

Enrollment drops at schools such as Lincoln affect a school's budget, but Sarchet said the district has been "softening the drop" as much as possible at Lincoln to maintain the school's programs. He also noted that Lincoln, under the new student-based budgeting formula, receives additional resources because of its high at-risk population.

"At-risk" is an economic reference, since the number is based on students receiving free lunches. Among PSD's junior high schools, Lincoln has the highest number of at-risk students, with Lesher running second. Lincoln also has the highest number of English language learners.

Next school year, Lincoln's budget will fall slightly, from $1,917,000 to $1,901,000. It may go down more the following year, when the one-year "safety net" funding expires.