Pandemic School Closures Drive 1.4 Million Fewer Public School Enrollees in Fall 2020: Walter Blanks Jr.

During the pandemic, public schools across the United States saw a significant drop in enrollment. About 1.4 million fewer students enrolled in public schools in the fall of 2020. That’s a 10-year low of 49.5 million students. Walter Blanks Jr. with the American Federation for Children tells NTD this is a result of union-backed school closures and parents being forced to seek other means of educating their children when they went back to work while public schools were still closed. In addition, Blanks anticipates federal funding formulas will change to bolster support for public schools amid this drop in enrollment.