Budget FY17: A Growing and Diversifying Student Body
Howard County is growing rapidly, and current projections indicate that HCPSS will have an additional 1,088 students in the fall of 2016. Enrollment is projected to continue to grow significantly over the next five years, and at every school level.
| Actual | Projected | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY08 | FY09 | FY10 | FY11 | FY12 | FY13 | FY14 | FY15 | FY16 | FY17 | |
| Total | 49,672 | 49,903 | 50,641 | 50,993 | 51,555 | 52,053 | 52,806 | 53,685 | 54,870 | 55,958 |
| FY 2017 Enrollment Increase | +1,088 | |||||||||
| Elementary | 20,649 | 20,811 | 21,292 | 21,814 | 22,246 | 22,735 | 23,327 | 23,698 | 24,245 | 24,587 |
| Middle | 11,801 | 11,748 | 11,649 | 11,472 | 11,523 | 11,483 | 11,890 | 12,276 | 12,715 | 13,050 |
| High | 16,173 | 16,231 | 16,657 | 16,614 | 16,627 | 16,660 | 16,378 | 16,438 | 16,574 | 16,938 |
| Cedar Lane | 101 | 98 | 85 | 91 | 101 | 103 | 93 | 129 | 103 | 112 |
| Pre-K | 948 | 1,015 | 958 | 1,002 | 1,058 | 1,072 | 1,118 | 1,144 | 1,233 | 1,271 |
Shifting Populations
- The percentage of students receiving Free and Reduced- Price Meals (FARMS) has climbed in recent years. In FY 2015, 19.5 percent of students qualified for this program, up from 14.4 percent in FY 2010.
- In FY 2015, 8.5 percent of our students received special education services.
- Nearly 2,600 students participate in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, representing 80 different languages and 106 countries.
HCPSS has seen consistent growth in student enrollment, especially in populations that require additional services. A growing segment of our student population carries heavy burdens to school, including poverty, homelessness and language barriers, requiring increased services. Program budgets in these areas reflect the requirement for increased funding to meet these needs.
| FY 2010 | FY 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | 5-Year Increase |
| Total K–12 | 49,683 | 100% | 52,541 | 100% | 5.8% |
| LEP | 2,082 | 4.2% | 2,335 | 4.4% | 12.2% |
| Homeless | 465 | 0.94% | 552 | 1.1% | 18.7% |
| FARMS eligible* | 7,149 | 14.4% | 10,248 | 19.5% | 43.3% |
| Remaining Enrollment | 39,987 | 80.5% | 39,406 | 75.0% | -1.5% |
*As measured by MSDE in the aid calculations for the subsequent year (excludes Pre-K).