WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Williamson County Schools have long ranked among the top in the state, many times receiving national accolades for strong academics. But this year, enrollment at the school system dropped, and the reason may surprise you.
"It's definitely been a rocky start," said Rebecca Rooney, who is beginning her first year of homeschooling.
The decision to homeschool wasn't one that came easily to Rooney.
"People like people in my neighborhood thought I was crazy, and they're not wrong — the staff is amazing," Rooney said.
But she, like a growing number of families in Tennessee, traded the classroom for a homeschooling co-op.
"I would rather spend two hours a day doing academics and then the rest of the day learning life skills," Rooney said.
Research shows Tennessee is following nationwide trends of families moving toward homeschool, but Superintendent Jason Golden said there's a dip in enrollment for a different reason.
"When we look at the data from grade level to grade level, our kindergarten class is substantially smaller," Golden said.
Homeschooling spiked during the pandemic. Golden points out that was 5 years ago. The smallest class they're seeing in the 0.9% drop in enrollment is 5-year-old kindergarteners.
"The two data points we've noticed are one, the birth rates are a little bit lower and fairly consistent with the actual enrollment we see 5 years later, and second, the cost of housing has substantially changed in the last few years," Golden said.
Golden says homeschooling numbers are flat. Middle schoolers are among the largest class, as families with older students are taking opportunities to relocate to Williamson County.
With lower enrollment, Golden said those trends are not concerning at all. There was also an unforeseen benefit.
"Rather than deal with growth, we're able to give our students extra opportunities with extracurriculars," Golden said.
Because of the enrollment numbers, Golden says they're delaying the construction of several elementary schools.
What issues matter most to you in Williamson County? Send your questions and story ideas to Amanda Roberts at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com - your input helps shape our coverage.
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
