Families flocking to West Denver Preparatory Charter Middle School for enrollment lotteries this week are among the reasons that Denver Public Schools is again projecting a growth spurt for fall 2009.

The district hit a 32-year enrollment high this school year by topping 75,000 students. Next year's estimated growth of 400 students is expected to increase that figure to nearly 76,000.

But district figures show that charter schools - funded by tax dollars but run by independent boards - are fueling that growth, as they have in some past years.

Consider these projections: Enrollment in DPS charter schools is expected to grow by 1,053 students for fall. Enrollment in DPS traditional schools is expected to decline by 668. All figures are for preschool through grade 12.

"I do think the growth of the charter movement is in answer to parents wanting an option and a choice for their kids, different from what's being offered in the Denver Public Schools system," said Richard Barrett, who founded KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy Charter Middle School in southwest Denver.

This fall, Barrett will open the KIPP Denver Collegiate Charter High School in DPS' traditional Rishel Middle School, which is phasing out its program partly because of enrollment declines.

Charter growth trend

As of Tuesday, Barrett had 123 students interested in the 120 seats at his new high school.

Charter schools have experienced rapid growth in Denver, recording a 300 percent enrollment increase between 2000 and 2006. During the same period, enrollment in traditional DPS schools fell by 4,028 students.

That growth slowed some in 2007 and dramatically in 2008, when two charter schools were placed on probation, amid public controversy, and scores of students left. DPS' latest projections appear to show charter growth rebounding, as successful charters such as KIPP and West Denver Prep open new campuses.

Some of DPS' 140 traditional schools are expected to feel an impact of the growth. DPS projects that West High School will lose more than 100 students to the new KIPP high school, dropping to 771 students.

But the school projected to have the biggest impact on other traditional schools is not a charter. It's Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy, a new DPS school serving kindergarten through grade eight at Kunsmiller Middle School, another traditional school phasing out its program because of enrollment declines.

Impact on other schools

Diane Howard, head of the creative arts academy, said she has received 743 applications for about 650 seats in the school that's set to open this fall.

"And they still come in and we get calls every day," Howard said. "We will continue to take applications because they will be on a waiting list."

The "vast majority" of those students are from southwest Denver, she said, and DPS projections back that up. The creative arts academy is expected to cause enrollment declines ranging from 19 percent to 12 percent at eight nearby elementary schools.

Howard cited numerous recruiting tactics, from mailing 8,000 postcards to area families, to excited neighborhood moms handing out brochures at local grocery stores. But, like Barrett, Howard said recruiting isn't necessarily the key - it's the draw of a unique and quality program.

KIPP, like West Denver Prep, is known for rigorous academics and longer school days. At the new Kunsmiller, it's an emphasis on the arts.

"It's offering something they know will be wonderful for their children," Howard said, "to fill their lives with art as it never has been before."

Schools losing ground

Gilpin School in north Denver is projected to lose the most students next school year, declining 21 percent to 223 pupils.

The school was one of five targeted for reformation in late 2007 because of low enrollment and poor performance. It is phasing in a Montessori program, which has been popular elsewhere.

DPS spokesman Alex Sanchez said a special education center and a program for homeless students moved out last year so the new program could begin.

But the biggest decline, he said, is because few children born in the neighborhood are attending Gilpin. In 2002, almost 50 percent of the neighborhood children born in 1997 enrolled at Gilpin - that figure dropped to just 10 percent in 2008.

Not all charters are growing. DPS projects that enrollment at Skyland Charter High School will decline 18 percent this fall.

Projected growth spurt

Denver Public Schools leaders are expecting another year of growth for the district, which recently hit 75,000-plus students. But, as in some years past, the growth is projected in its independently run charter schools while traditional schools are expected to decline. Here's a look:

OVERALL PROJECTIONS

* Total enrollment in kindergarten through grade 12 is expected to increase by 258 students.

* If early childhood education programs or preschool is added into the mix, the increase is estimated at 385.

* If charter schools are not included, total enrollment in preschool through grade 12 would be expected to decline by 668.

* Total enrollment in charter schools is expected to grow by 1,053 students.

BIGGEST EXPECTED INCREASES

* Montclair Elementary, 12 percent

* Teller Elementary, 9 percent

* Lincoln Elementary, 9 percent

* Smith Elementary, 6 percent

* Pioneer Charter Elementary, 5 percent

BIGGEST EXPECTED DECREASES

* Gilpin Preschool to Grade 8, 21 percent

* Schmitt Elementary, 19 percent

* Skyland Charter High, 18 percent

* West High, 15 percent

* Knight Fundamental Academy, 14 percent

Back to Top