Salina USD 305 has recorded three consecutive years of declining full-time-equivalent enrollment used in Kansas school-finance calculations, with the district down more than 200 FTE students from its 2022-23 level, according to Kansas State Department of Education records.

The decline comes as the district begins another school year and prepares for Kansas' annual student Count Day later this month.

KSDE records show USD 305's regular FTE enrollment declined from 6,517.4 in 2022-23 to 6,301.8 in 2025-26.

That represents a decrease of 215.6 FTE students, or approximately 3.3%, over three years.

The decline has also occurred each year during that period.

From 2022-23 to 2023-24, FTE enrollment declined by 72.5. It fell another 96.5 the following year and another 46.6 in 2025-26.

FTE enrollment is not necessarily the same as the number of individual students attending USD 305. Kansas uses enrollment calculations for school-finance purposes that account for factors including whether students attend full or part time. As a result, district headcount figures and the FTE figures used for funding can differ.

New Count Coming Sept. 21

The next major measurement is approaching.

Kansas' official 2026 Count Day will be Monday, Sept. 21. Count Day normally occurs Sept. 20, but because that date falls on a Sunday this year, KSDE moved the count to the following school day.

KSDE uses student information submitted by school districts for funding purposes.

The upcoming count should provide another indication of whether USD 305's recent enrollment decline is continuing, stabilizing or reversing.

Enrollment Changes Come as District Adopts New Budget

The USD 305 Board of Education approved the district's 2026-27 budget as published during its Sept. 8 meeting.

Declining enrollment does not automatically mean a school district's expenses or property taxes will decline at the same rate.

Kansas school funding includes state aid, local property taxes, federal funding and enrollment weightings, while school districts also carry expenses that do not necessarily change immediately when enrollment moves up or down.

Buildings still have to be operated and maintained, buses must run routes, and schools require administrators, teachers and support employees even when enrollment changes incrementally.

However, sustained enrollment decline can become an important long-term financial and operational issue for a school district because the number of students affects state funding while also changing how efficiently buildings, classrooms and staff are being used.

Questions for USD 305

Salina311 is seeking additional information from USD 305 about what district officials believe is driving the enrollment decline and whether the trend has affected staffing or building utilization.

Among the questions are how current preliminary enrollment compares with last year, whether staffing or classroom numbers have changed as enrollment has declined, and at what point a continued decline could require larger operational changes.

Salina311 is also asking whether the district believes demographic changes, movement between public and private schools, homeschooling, open enrollment, birth rates or other factors are contributing to the decline.

The district's next official enrollment count will provide another year of data to measure against the trend.

Salina311 will update these numbers following Kansas Count Day on Sept. 21.