The number of students enrolled in Oklahoma public schools is continuing to rise.
According to a press release by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, 698,586 students are enrolled in pre-K through 12th grade during the 2018-19 school year.
This year’s enrollment is a half-percent increase from the previous year, and an 8 percent increase over the last 11 years, according to the release.
“As our student population grows, Oklahoma must be prepared to meet a greater set of education challenges than ever before,” said Joy Hofmeister, Oklahoma's State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in the press release.
Oklahoma must focus on having trained educators, sufficient funding to reduce class sizes and giving all students the opportunity for successful futures, Hofmeister said the release.
The release ranked the 10 largest school districts, and for the second year in a row, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Edmond have the most students enrolled. Moore, Putnam City, Broken Arrow, Norman, Union, Midwest City-Del City and Lawton round out the 10 largest school districts in the state.
Oklahoma currently has 512 school districts, 1,802 traditional school sites, 26 charter schools and four virtual charter schools, according to the release.
According to the release, the demographics of students enrolled in Oklahoma public schools also saw a shift.
The enrollment of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicities rose while Caucasian, black and American Indian enrollment dropped, according to the release.
