Nampa’s enrollment has been in decline for more than a decade. The trend continues this year, but it’s not as bad as the district projected.
Enrollment decreased by 2,172 students from 2014 to 2024, according to historical fall enrollment data from the Idaho Department of Education. Nampa School District’s internal report this month increases that divide by 71. There are 12,584 students in the district. IDE numbers that determine funding have not yet been released.
District staff anticipated a drop of 150 students this year, according to spokesperson Matt Sizemore. The actual decline is about half of that.
Trustees in 2023 took drastic measures to address the long-term enrollment slide. They agreed to repurpose four school buildings to house other programs. The district still owns all four — Snake River, Centennial and Greenhurst elementaries and West Middle School — and has now dubbed them “learning campuses.”
There weren’t enough kids at some of the schools and the teacher-to-student ratio was unbalanced, Sizemore said this week.
“It was just a few kids per teacher, and the cost ratio was not basically making sense,” he said. “It wasn’t effective.”
That consolidation effort eliminated at least 13 staff positions and saved $700,000 in salaries, according to a document the district shared with EdNews.
Some staff stayed at the four buildings, some were transferred to other schools and some positions were eliminated. The district eliminated PE and music teacher positions at each of the four schools, as well as one elementary administrator, and a middle school dean and bookkeeper. Students were consolidated into other buildings.
Before the consolidation, some schools were far below their capacity. Central Elementary, for example, was 55% full in October 2023. The building can hold 452 students, but only 248 were enrolled. After the consolidation, Central was 80% full in October 2024.
But the new enrollment report shows Central lost 35 students since last year and is 72.5% full this month.
At the same time as the enrollment decline, the city of Nampa’s population has grown. The U.S. Census in 2010 reported a total population of 81,500, which grew to 100,200 in 2020.
To help explain the enrollment decline amid population growth, a Nampa School District “State of the Schools” report from December 2023 points to a decline in Idaho’s birth rate since 2008. The Great Recession contributed to fewer babies.
Net migration into Idaho accounts for nearly 90% of the state’s population growth, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.
Here’s how the district has repurposed the four buildings:
Snake River Elementary
- 2023 Enrollment: 328
- 2023 Capacity: 545 (60% full)
The Snake River Learning Center has two purposes. It houses the Gateways alternative program for at-risk students and the district’s federal programs department offices.
Centennial Elementary
- 2023 Enrollment: 362
- 2023 Capacity: 580 (62% full)
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Canyon County uses the building, now called the Centennial Learning Campus. Some school resource officers also use the building as office space.
Greenhurst Elementary
- 2023 Enrollment: 243
- 2023 Capacity: 575 (82% full)
The Greenhurst building is the new home of the district’s online program, called Nampa Online Virtual Academy, or NOVA, as well as the Nampa Early Childhood Learning Center.
West Middle School
- 2023 Enrollment: 523
- 2023 Capacity: 1,000 (52% full)
Now called the West Learning Campus, the building houses two alternative school programs. One side is for Nampa Academy, the other for Union School.
