Growth in early childhood education in the Omaha school district has pushed the district's enrollment over the 49,000-student mark for the first time since the 1970s.
A report presented Monday shows that since September 2008 the state's largest district has added 1,004 students. Another large kindergarten class and the addition of several classrooms for pre-kindergarten are the primary reasons for growth.
In 1978, when the district last had more than 49,000 students, there was no pre-kindergarten.
Since then, the district has watched its student population shrink as suburban development grew.
New programs and services have begun, and changes in state law have allowed districts to receive state funding for teaching those younger than 5.
The district has grown by 3,880 students since the 2000-01 school year. Nearly half of that growth comes from programs for children younger than 5.
In addition to an increase in overall size, the district became more diverse over the last year. While the percentage of white students is down more than 1 percent, the district saw growth in the numbers of Asian-American and Latino students.
Contact the writer:
444-1037, michaela.saunders@owh.com
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