RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Less kindergartners are in the classroom at Rutherford County Schools and Murfreesboro City Schools.

It's a trend that is impacting schools across Middle Tennessee.

"Generally speaking, many, many schools are struggling," Vanderbilt University research professor Doug Fuchs said.

Right now, school officials are keeping a close eye on enrollment. The reason is that fewer students could eventually mean less money.

"The quality of K-12 education in this country is not nearly where it needs to be," Fuchs said.

The latest numbers show the Rutherford County School District and Murfreesboro City Schools have seen drops in enrollment, specifically for kindergarteners.

"Is that home prices? Is it birth rates?" Dr. James Sullivan with Rutherford County questioned.

Leaders in both districts said the numbers could still fluctuate.

Experts, like Fuchs, said that right now, there are likely a lot of pieces adding to the puzzle. From COVID-19 to home affordability, they said there's no clear answer just yet, but some are questioning whether the school voucher program the state of Tennessee rolled out this year is playing a role.

"Given pretty dramatic incentives to parents of K-12 kids, and these incentives are often cash, to use as the parents wish to get their children education in the form of homeschooling, and private schools," Fuchs said.

School officials said they're hopeful they will get more students enrolled in the classroom over the next few months. They said that after Labor Day, they tend to have stronger numbers.

Meanwhile, if numbers don't improve, school districts could face tough choices in an already struggling system.

"It's a crisis I would say," Fuchs said.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/murfreesboro/middle-tennessee-school-districts-see-drop-in-kindergarten-enrollment/