Cloquet school enrollment still down from pre-pandemic levels

Although the Cloquet Area Alternative Education Program is full, other schools in the Cloquet district are seeing a decline when compared to pre-pandemic numbers, superintendent Michael Cary told board members Monday.

Pre-Covid, Cary said, resident student numbers had been decreasing slightly, but the high number of students open-enrolling into the district always offset and kept the district numbers on an upward trajectory.

There were a number of years in which the enrollment grew quite a bit, just after the new middle school was built; those kids are in grades 7-10 now.

Cary didn’t seem too worried by the numbers, but told the board they are looking at trends.

“We can’t always connect the cause,” he said, adding that they were still dealing with the effects of Covid.

Board chair Ted Lammi said that was the first he’d heard of the decline of residential enrollment.

In other matters Monday, Cloquet school board members approved a partnership with REACH, which will allow the nonprofit to work with students and access records if parents approve it.

The board also approved snow removal bids for this winter and established the combined polling place as the Armory in case of special elections.