Families say 'no' to D65
Families appear to be fleeing Evanston/Skokie School District 65 schools in increasing numbers.
The latest state figures show enrollment declines for Evanston's public schools far sharper than for neighboring suburban districts — and sharper even than declines in Chicago Public Schools enrollment.
District 65 enrollment has declined 22% since 2018, while CPS enrollment has fallen 14% and schools in nearby suburban townships have, on average, seen enrollment drops of only 3% to 5%
Meanwhile, population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show no corresponding recent change in Evanston's elementary-school-age population.
It should be noted that the ACS data tends to show significant variation from year to year and is less reliable than the decennial census — but it's the best readily-available data to capture changes over time periods periods shorter than a decade.
The drop in District 65 enrollment has spanned all racial and ethnic groups and has been sharper for each group in Evanston than it has been in any of the the other four areas studied.
Controversy over the school board's decision to build a new Foster School despite declining enrollments, huge budget deficits and the prospect of at least one, and possibly several, school closures in coming years all appear to be factors in the exodus of families from the school system.
