Enrollment for 2023-2024

Across the state, October 1 marks the official “count day” for certified enrollment, the annual report of enrolled resident students used for the Iowa School Finance Formula calculation. The October count funds the next fiscal year’s budget. Here is a snapshot of key statistics:

• Certified enrollment used for the Iowa School Finance Formula calculation is 4,547 students. This is an increase of 108 students from a year ago. 
• The total number of school aged students (K-12) provided instructional programs is 4,616 (an increase of 58 from a year ago). This is the number that determines the new funding for the district. 
• Enrollment in the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program is up 20 students. These students are funded at .5 resulting in an increase of revenue of 10 students. 
• New this year, Ames resident students who are receiving an Educational Savings Account (ESA) to attend non-public schools totaled 88 students. This generates $676,720 in funding for non-public schools and will not be available as funding for public schools. 

Certified enrollment is used for funding purposes with the state of Iowa. The actual number of students served in Ames is higher because it accounts for students who are also open-enrolled in Ames, and this number better reflects enrollment in our District.

Certified enrollment is a weighted formula that does not count all students as 1.0 for funding purposes for various programs. The actual number of PK-12th grade students served in our District on October 1 was 5,070. This includes students through our state-wide voluntary partner preschool programs, non-public and public shared time agreements, and our homeschool assistance program (HSAP). These numbers play a critical role in identifying demographic and capacity trends in our District and serve as the foundation for calculating certified enrollment. 

Ames has several students who attend from outside Districts. Non-resident students who enroll into Ames due to open enrollment, whole grade sharing agreements, and tuitoned in equals 450 students. Compared to 326 students from within Ames who enroll out. This is a difference of 124 students.