County-level public school enrollment for 20 relocation candidate cities, drawn from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Data covers 2010–11 through 2023–24 (2022–23 excluded — anomalous source file). Enrollment is segmented by level: elementary (PK–Grade 5), middle (Grades 6–8), and high school (Grades 9–12). Private schools are not included.
Demographic shifts — particularly the effects of immigration enforcement on K–12 enrollment — should be visible in the elementary tier first, with a 6–8 year lag before propagating to high school.
Elementary spans 7 grade levels (PK–5), Middle spans 3 (6–8), High spans 4 (9–12). On a per-grade basis the cohort sizes are roughly comparable.
Raw data
| Year | Elementary | Middle | High | Total |
|---|
Source: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD), public schools only. Grades PK–5 = Elementary, 6–8 = Middle, 9–12 = High. 2022–23 excluded (anomalous NCES file).