Utah’s public school population continues to nosedive — with the number of K-12 students enrolled this fall declining by the highest number yet in a dire, now three-year trend.

That portends more school closures , dramatically less funding for the state’s classrooms and likely staff layoffs to come.

Overall enrollment dropped by 11,478 students, or 1.7%, this fall for the 2025-26 school year, according to data released Wednesday. That’s the biggest decrease of public school students in the state for at least the past 25 years. And it’s nearly triple last year’s previously historic downturn.

There are now 656,311 K-12 public school students, down from 667,789 last year when there was a 4,873 student dip, or 0.7% decline.

In 2023, enrollment dropped 1,988 students.

That means in j

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