Portland Public Schools enrollment counts from Oct. 1 indicate that enrollment is down again, but it’s seeing some progress attracting some of its earliest learners.

The district reported 753 less students in 2025–26 than it did in 2024–25, at 42,622. That’s a 1.7% decrease, but is a higher number than the Portland State University Population Research Center projected. That enrollment model forecast 42,471 students in the current academic year.

At first glance, the numbers appear to be a continuation of a disheartening trend that PPS officials are all too familiar with: declining enrollment, which directly affects the revenue the district brings in. (Across Oregon, districts are paid per student.)

But one data point signals potential good news for the district: kindergarten enrollment h

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