The Colorado Department of Education said Friday that for the first time in more than three decades, public schools enrollment dropped for the 2020-21 school year as a result of COVID-19.

Enrollment of children for preschool through 12th grade dropped 3.3%, or 30,024 students compared to 2019-20, according to data from the CDE.

Colorado state officials consider public school funding amid first enrollment drop in decades

Younger children in lower grade levels saw the biggest decrease in enrollment. There were more than 27,000 fewer students enrolled in preschool through fifth grade, according to the CDE.

Preschool enrollment saw the biggest impact as there was a 23.27% decrease.

In all, 140 of the 178 districts reported enrollment numbers were down.

The Douglas County School had the largest decrease with 4,326 fewer students, or a 6.4% drop.

Of the number of students opting out of public schools this year, 19,759 were white.

And while there was a drastic decrease in total enrollment throughout Colorado’s public schools, there was a surge in the number of students being homeschooled and through online education programs, the CDE said.

The number of students registered for homeschooling at the beginning of the fall was nearly double compared to the previous year as more than 15,700 students are now doing so.

Likewise, more than 9,500 students participated in online education programs, which is a 43% increase, the CDE said.