Public school enrollment in the Pikes Peak region is bucking a statewide trend of fewer students.

Colorado enrolled 3,253 fewer preschool through 12th grade students this academic year over 2021-22, but the Pikes Peak region’s 17 public school districts collectively gained 450 students, according to official numbers the Colorado Department of Education released Wednesday.

Nine local districts posted increases from the annual head count taken in October.

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District 49 led the way with a jump of 849 students, or 3.43% of its enrollment of 25,616 students.

D-49, covering an eastern central swath of the county, has been steadily growing since 2009 when it had 14,398 students.

Housing construction has driven the explosive growth of nearly 20% in the past five years, district officials have said, and have rallied to meet the demand by opening several new schools in recent years.

Now, D-49 has pulled within 1,000 students of the region’s largest school district, Academy D-20, which grew by 207 students this year for an enrollment of 26,607, statistics show.

Many schools are rebounding from the pandemic, said Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 Superintendent David Peak.

“Like many other districts, we continue to work on recovering from learning loss, supporting the mental health wellness for students and staff, as well as focusing on expanding opportunities for students through the effective use of technology as well as college and career pathways,” he said.

D-12 enrolled 82 more students this year than last year, according to the data. But from 2016 to 2021, the district had a 28.68% decline, amounting to a loss of 1,497 students.

Part of the decrease, Peak said, can be attributed to a charter school, The Vanguard School, vacating its authorization under D-12 and adopting a charter under a different neighboring district, Harrison D-2.

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“When comparing our district over the past few years and not including The Vanguard School, we saw a slight decline of approximately 250 students; however, we have already begun to recover our enrollment numbers by increasing students per the last October count,” he said.

Woodland Park RE-2 in Woodland Park, the largest city in Teller County, jumped by 290 students, a 15.83% increase over 2021-22.

Superintendent Ken Witt said the district adapted to the changing education environment by “offering more options to our families through school choice, various programs at every level of learning and continued partnerships with parents.”

A new charter school and homeschool enrichment program added to district-run schools have helped broaden the offerings for families, which Witt said he believes has returned enrollment to near pre-pandemic levels.

“When parents are able to find the best educational fit for each child, our students and families win, he said. “Woodland Park is becoming a destination school district.”

Eight local districts saw year-over-year enrollment decreases.

The third-largest district, Colorado Springs D-11, has lost students consistently since 2009, according to state data, and this year had 637 fewer students and a collective loss between 2016 and 2021 of 4,698 students.

El Paso County’s smallest school district, Edison 54-JT, recorded 94 students this school year, which is 43 fewer students than last year and down from 305 students in 2009.

This year’s enrollment represents 53 brick-and-mortar students, with the remainder taking classes online, said Superintendent David Eastin.

Edison, a rural district in unincorporated Yoder, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and has always offered smaller class sizes, he said, and produced a reputation for excellent academics.

“This year is no different,” Eastin said.

With a student-to-teacher ratio of 4:1, every student receives individualized academic support, he said, and programs that rival larger schools such as science, technology, engineering, arts and math in junior high, science fair students turning a school bus into a tiny home on wheels and college classes available for high schoolers.

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“Honestly, our education environment is one-of-a-kind,” Eastin said.

A total of 883,264 students were counted in Colorado’s 178 public school districts in October, with the largest decreases in kindergarten and middle school grades.

This year marks the second statewide enrollment decline in three years, after three decades of steady increases, the state education department said.

Among races and ethnicities, white students have had the highest number change in the count, with 7,673 fewer white students statewide, a 1.67% decline.

Up this academic year:

District 49: 25,616 students, a gain of 849 students or 3.43%

Woodland Park RE-2: 2,122 students, a gain of 290 students or 15.83%

Widefield D-3: 9,612 students, a gain of 242 students or 2.58%

Academy D-20: 26,607 students, a gain of 207 students or 0.78%

Cheyenne Mountain D-12: 3,723 students, a gain of 82 students or 2.25%

Miami-Yoder 60-JT: 340 students, a gain of 27 students or 8.63%

Lewis-Palmer D-38: 6,648 students, a gain of 11 students or 0.17%

Peyton 23-JT: 620 students, a gain of six students or 0.98%

Hanover D-28: 289 students, a gain of six students or 2.22%

Total Pikes Peak region gains 2022-23 over 2021-22: 1,720 students

Down this academic year

Colorado Springs D-11: 22,729, a loss of 637 students or 2.74%

Harrison D-2: 12,606, a loss of 396 students or 3.05%

Fountain-Fort Carson D-8: 8,201 students, a loss of 101 students, or 1.22%

Edison 54-JT: 94 students, a loss of 43 students or 31.39%

Cripple Creek-Victor RE-2: 313 students, a loss of 39 students or 11.08%

Calhan RJ-1: 424 students, a loss of 22 students or 4.93%

Ellicott D-22: 982 students, a loss of 20 students or 2.0%

Manitou Springs D-14: 1,317 students, a loss of 12 students or 0.90%

Total Pikes Peak region losses 2022-23 over 2021-22: 1,270

Source: Colorado Department of Education