Wellesley Public Schools: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget
Enrollment
Each year the district submits enrollment statistics to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), referred to as the Student Information Management System (SIMS) report. According to the DESE: Districts must report all students in the district between the ages of 3 and 21 who are: • enrolled in the district, regardless of the reason; • enrolled in a private special education school or collaborative (in state or out of state), for whom the district is financially responsible; • not educated by the district, but have an active Individual Education Program (IEP) and receive special education services from the district (may include home-schooled students or students educated in private schools); and/or • outplaced to Massachusetts Department of Youth Services or a correctional facility. Districts should not include: • home-schooled students (unless they receive special education services from the district); • students attending private schools paid by their parent or guardian, (unless they receive special education services from the district); • students enrolled only part-time; • students in alternative/adult programs working toward their General Equivalency Diploma (GED); and/or • students traveling abroad for the school year. The October 1 student information is the basis of the SIMS enrollment report each fall. Using the most recent enrollment data, a projection is developed for the upcoming budget cycle (FY’26) and three additional years. Several documents are included in this section of the FY’26 budget to provide data on our current enrollment as well as projections for FY’26 and beyond, as the level of enrollments most directly affects the budget with respect to staffing requirements and other costs. Enrollments are also a key factor in planning for major facility improvements and trends are used for determining the long-term facility needs. Enrollment at the elementary level is flat and expected to increase over the next few years. In the past seventeen (17) years, elementary enrollment has declined by 761 students. In the past twenty-five (25) years, the elementary enrollment peaked in SY’08-09 at 2,480 students. In addition to Wellesley’s annual enrollment projections, the district contracts with an independent demographer every 3-5 years to test the projection assumptions. These studies include:
McKibben Demographics /Cropper GIS – March 2013 Future Think – July 2016 Future Think – January 2020 Future Think – September 2022
The studies conducted over the past nine years have all projected enrollment decline in the upcoming 10-year period. Below is a summary of the projected change in enrollment based on these studies:
McKibben Demographics /Cropper GIS – March 2013 o Actual Date: 2008-2009 (4,799 Total Students)
o Projection End Date: school year 2022-2023 (4,297 Total Students)
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