Colorado’s public school enrollment continues to decline, according to new data released Tuesday morning.

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) reported a total of 870,793 pre-K-12th-grade students enrolled in Colorado schools, a decrease of 10,272 from fall 2024.

“Colorado continues to experience enrollment trends shaped by a declining school-aged population, increasing racial and ethnic diversity, and shifts toward part-time and online learning,” CDE Commissioner Dr. Susana Córdova said in a statement.

“These changes require thoughtful adaptation, and our schools are working diligently to continue serving students effectively across the state.”

Among the trends highlighted by the CDE are an increase in homeschooled students and online school enrollment, while data from the Colorado State Demography Office shows a declining number of births statewide across the last two decades and population declines in 30% of Colorado counties over the past 10 years.

Statewide, enrollment decreased by approximately 10,000 students. The October 2025 count shows enrollment declines in nine out of 13 grade levels. Enrollment increased by a total of 4,291 students in pre-kindergarten, fourth grade, sixth grade and 12th grade.

Among the positive trends Colorado saw were increasing graduation rates and decreasing dropout rates, with the former being the highest in over a decade and the latter an all-time low.

The same day, CDE released student graduation data from the 2024-25 school year, with the state’s four-year graduation rate increasing by 1.4 percentage points to 85.6% – the highest in more than a decade.

The dropout rate also improved, declining by 0.3 percentage points to 1.6%, which is the state’s lowest rate in more than 10 years.

“Colorado’s graduation and dropout data show encouraging progress, with more students earning their diplomas and fewer leaving school before graduation,” said Córdova.

“We also have work to do to continue closing gaps for students of color, students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, economically disadvantaged students, and multilingual learners. We need to keep a continued focus on engagement, relevance, and the supports students need to stay connected to school and graduate prepared for their futures.”

A total of 60,387 Colorado students graduated in four years in the 2024-25 school year, an increase of 2,069 students compared to the prior year. Statewide, nearly 70% of school districts and BOCES improved or stayed the same in their four-year graduation rates.

This story will be updated.