Based on preliminary data, St. Paul Public Schools has 542 fewer students who are learning English this school year than anticipated, representing approximately $4.9 million in lost revenue, according to district officials.

Due to the drop in enrollment, the district’s board of directors will review administrative recommendations to balance the 2026-27 budget during its Oct. 20 meeting. With around 80% of the district’s budget devoted to personnel, that could include staffing changes. Those may include positions directly affected by lower enrollment and currently unfilled non-school positions, SPPS Superintendent Stacie Stanley said in a district-wide email Monday.

“We know there are many factors affecting families and communities across Saint Paul right now,” Stanley said. “Operation Metro Surge, changes in immigration, and fewer new families settling in our community are among the circumstances reflected in our enrollment. Many of the students who are no longer enrolled with us are English language learners.”

With fewer students overall this school year, the district will receive less funding than anticipated when the year’s budget was developed, Stanley added.

“We understand that changes involving staffing affect entire school communities — not only our employees, but also the students, families and colleagues who know and value them,” she said. “We will approach these decisions thoughtfully, with our students at the center, and will keep families informed as recommendations are considered and decisions are made.”

The 2026-27 budget approved in June included a reduction of roughly 16 full-time ELL (English Language Learner) teaching positions.

The district expected a loss this school year of anywhere from 45 to 315 students learning English, primarily due to fewer new arrivals and the recent increase in immigration enforcement, district spokesperson Erica Wacker told the Pioneer Press in April.

For the 2025-2026 school year, the district enrolled 61% of the 51,319 school-age children living in St. Paul.

District officials aim to increase that percentage to 63% by 2029, a percentage it last reached in the 2019-2020 school year.

Of the St. Paul school-age children enrolled in districts other than SPPS, 61% attended charter schools last school year, according to the district. Another 20% attended nonpublic schools, and 19% attended other public schools through open enrollment.

“Behind every enrollment number is a student, a family, a teacher and a school community. We deeply miss the students and families who are no longer in our classrooms,” Stanley said. “Their absence is felt in our schools and throughout our community.”