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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New state figures show there are nearly 12,000 more students enrolled in public schools this fall.
State Superintendent of Schools Martell Menlove said Friday that there are now 612,500 students in Utah schools. That's a 2 percent increase from the previous year.
The growth has been fueled by charter schools, where enrollment is up 8 percent from the previous year. These schools now account for 9 percent of Utah schools. Nationally, charter schools only make up about 4 percent of schools.
The number of students in kindergartner this fall is down for the first time in many years in what could foreshadow future decline in overall student enrollment.
The data also shows the number of low-income students dropped this year to 34 percent of students, compared to 37 percent last year.
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