Hoboken Middle School Enrollment Dropping Despite Claims by Superintendent Johnson and Board Member Kluepfel that "enrollment continues to grow"

Hoboken Board of Education

According to an article by Marilyn Baer of the Hoboken Reporter (January 11, 2019) we read:

"In the past Johnson and Board of Education members have said they may need more seats for students in the coming years. “If enrollment continues to grow at the rate we’re seeing recently, we will surely face the need for additional space or buildings,” said then-school board president Thomas Kluepfel a year and a half ago at a school board meeting." -Hoboken Reporter (1/11/19)

It is a confusing and uncomfortable day when people who are given the public trust for making decisions about the education of a town's youth and to be an honest and truthful voice of data and information to a city's citizens do not meet even minimal expectations.

In a previous post I pointed out that district enrollment in Hoboken was not growing at all and in fact was flat at best over the past twelve years with a slight downward trend. Some readers pointed out that the quotes by Superintendent Johnson and Board member Kluepfel centered on middle school enrollment. 

A quick analysis of middle school enrollment in the Hoboken Public School District clearly shows a downward trend and declining enrollment. For the chart below we took data frn the New Jersey Department of Education from 2010-11 to 2017-18 (the most current data available) and we took 6th, 7th, and 8th grade enrollment. The chart below looks at each grade in isolation as well as a total middle school enrollment (TOT= 6th + 7th + 8th).

Click to Enlarge

Middle School enrollment in Hoboken is trending downward (declining) NOT increasing.

One is left to wonder what have former Hoboken Board President Kluepfel and other members of the Hoboken Board of Education along with Superintendent Christine Johnson choose to promote a false narrative of the "growing enrollment" in the Hoboken School District? 

Is it to offset the perception of the inadequate education students are receiving? 
Is it to try to justify the "need" for the funding for construction of a new school? 
Is it because there is a perception that people simply do not care? 

Whatever the reason--- the data over the past 8 years shows clearly that any claim of enrollment growth or the need for additional space due to enrollment growth in the middle school is without warrant and possibly a deliberate misstatement. 

Perhaps there is a good reason why a recent developer kickback was directed to a parent organization and not to the Hoboken Board of Education....