Louisiana's public schools have nearly 17,000 fewer students in the coronavirus pandemic.
That's an enrollment decline of more than 2% this year to just under 700,000 students. Nearly half the decrease is among students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.
However, The Advocate reports that drops also appeared in the number of students in first grade through seventh grade.
The latest snapshot is based on the Oct. 1 headcount of students, one of two done annually.
The next one takes place in February.
The student decrease in Louisiana mirrors national trends.
A survey done by The Associated Press and Chalkbeat showed public school enrollment is down 2% among 33 states that responded.
