Enrollment Study Predicts Growth for S. Cobb, Decrease for NW Cobb

On Thursday, the Cobb County Board of Education heard a report on a recently commissioned enrollment study. The study analyzed growth trends throughout the school district and how these trends may affect future populations.

The study was conducted by Davis Demographics and Planning, Inc., between October 2013 and March 2014, and was produced to predict population shifts in Cobb through 2023. 

The full report is attached with this story and is also available here.

The report calls for significant growth for south Cobb during the next decade, while the population will lessen in the northwestern part of the county.

This is a Summary of the Key Items in the District-wide Analysis Section of the Report:

Overall, the K-12 enrollment for Cobb County School District is expected to increase over the next ten years. 

CCSD has experienced annual growth since fall 2011. Prior to 2011, CCSD saw static population counts. The report projections are based on Fall 2013 student data. 

Currently there are over 60 residential developments in planning with in the district. 23 developments are scheduled to come online during these projections. This could increase student counts but it will depend on the market pricing of units and the attraction for families.

The CCSD high school student population could see growth over the next ten years increasing from 32,059 current students to over 40,000 students by fall 2023.

The District’s high school grades (9-12) have been growing in recent years. This has to do with the maturation of larger younger grades and a high 9th and 12th grade mobility due to the introduction of private school students from K-8 campuses and current district retention policies.

The District’s 6-8 population is projected to increase through Fall 2020 then could see possible decline by the end of these projections. Smaller grade counts graduating from the lower levels later in the projections will cause this drop. 

The elementary attendance areas may see an increase next year but then drop back to current figures through 2017. Projections indicate a decline starting Fall 2018 where the District could see pre-2010 counts through the end of the 10 year study. A trend driven by low birth factors