Online learning skews school enrollment numbers

Feb. 13—UNION COUNTY — Enrollment at the La Grande School District is down from fall 2019, according to a recent report from the Oregon Department of Education. But the enrollment numbers in the report also paint a somewhat inaccurate picture of how many students are learning in Union County school districts.

According to the ODE report, 1,979 students were enrolled at the La Grande School District as of Oct. 1, 2020, a stark drop compared to 2,348 at the same point in 2019. However, that figure — which would represent a drop of 15.7% — does not include students taking online-only learning through the district's partnership with the InterMountain Educational Service District.

The InterMountain ESD provides its Virtual Learning Academy to schools in Union, Umatilla and Morrow counties and to Burnt River School District in Baker County. According to the ESD, 217 students in the La Grande School District were enrolled in the Virtual Learning Academy.

"LGSD very much considers (those) students as our students," said La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza.

As does the InterMountain ESD.

Erin Lair, director of teaching and learning for the IMESD, explained the service district offers a fee-based opportunity for instruction and curriculum to each district in coordination with a district's own program options. This model allows the district to continue to support its students in all wraparound services, and students are able to remain eligible for activities such as athletics and other district-based opportunities.

"We're just helping to be a conduit for their education with virtual teachers and virtual instruction," Lair said.

The ESD also tracks students taking classes through the Virtual Learning Academy, including which school districts students are in, and provides that data to the districts. That way, Lair said, the students learning online count in a school district's average daily enrollment, which matters for purposes of funding from the Oregon Department of Education.

"There are many nuances behind taking aggregate numbers like this," Lair said. "For example, these numbers include both students taking some classes through the VLA setting and some classes in their local districts. Others, the majority, would have full schedules within the virtual setting."

Actual enrollment at La Grande School District, according to the district's director of education, Scott Carpenter, is 2,190 students, or 158 fewer than were enrolled in 2019. That's a drop of about 6.7%.

La Grande is not the only school district in the county to partner with IMESD, and similarly, it is not alone in seeing its enrollment numbers take a downturn in the state's report.

Union School District, for example, according to the state's data, had 326 students enrolled as of Oct. 1, 2020, down from 373 the year before. However, according to the IMESD, 46 students in the Union School District were taking courses through the Virtual Learning Academy. That puts enrollment at Union roughly flat. Union Superintendent Carter Wells said the district's students who are learning virtually are real-life Union students.

"The IMESD, because of coronavirus, has given these kids an opportunity to do 100% online without leaving the community," Wells said.

Some students, Wells continued, need the opportunity to forgo in-person instruction for reasons such as living with elderly or immunocompromised people in their household, which makes potential exposure to COVID-19 too dangerous to risk.

The Department of Education's report showed declined enrollment of 11 fewer students at Imbler School District, 39 fewer students at Cove School District and 22 fewer students at North Powder School District from fall 2019 to fall 2020.

But 15 students in the Imbler School District are taking Virtual Learning Academy classes, along with 46 from Cove school and 15 in the North Powder School District.

Only Elgin School District showed increased enrollment, gaining five students. And four of Elgin's students are using the InterMountain ESD online program.

— The Observer editor Phil Wright contributed to this article.