Lincoln Public Schools nears record enrollment rates held since 2020, district shares

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Lincoln Public Schools reached a near record enrollment rate, with over 40,000 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, the district shared Thursday.

According to official enrollment statistics from LPS, they returned to rates that they held before the COVID-19 pandemic, with 42,282 total students. This is an increase of 647 students, with the total being 15 students shy of the 42,297 record during the 2019-2020 school year.

"Lincoln has a long history as a refugee resettlement community," LPS Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Mike Gillotti said. "For some families, this is their second or third move within the United States. They've often heard great things about our schools so they are excited to make their home here where they find a welcoming and supportive community."

There are 679 more students at LPS that are learning English this year compared to last year's rates. This is the highest number of English learners since 2016, the district said.

Other enrollment highlights from the district include:

Total enrollment grew by 101 students in elementary, 89 in middle and 385 in high school

Kooser Elementary School is the largest elementary school with 929 students

Scott Middle School continues to be the largest middle school with 1,020 students

Southwest High School is the largest high school with 2,109 students

Lincoln High School is the only other high school with enrollment over 2,000 students, with 2,082 students

Everett Elementary School had the largest increase at an elementary level, adding 67 students

Moore Middle School had the largest increase at a middle level, adding 87 students

Largest growth at a high school was Lincoln Standing Bear High School, adding a junior grade level, an additional 314 students in 9-11 grades, bringing enrollment to 631 students

The 10th grade class is the largest class across LPS with 3,478 students

The three largest grade levels experiencing growth are third, 10th and 11th grades

The largest cohort to grow is students moving from last year's eighth grade to this year's ninth grade class, with 188 more students