The Waunakee School District is considered to be in “declining enrollment,” according to the Tribune Enterprise, and the area’s housing situation may be playing a role.
The Department of Public Instruction reported that the 2025-2026 enrollment count for the district was down to 4,149, compared to last year’s 4,415.
While the financial impact of the decline will be somewhat alleviated for this school year with a one-year exemption from the state of around $170,000, Steve Summers, the district’s executive director of operations, said enrollment may be feeling the effects of broader economic issues, particularly related to housing.
Summers said many area homeowners whose children are through school are electing to stay put, with lower interest rates locked in on their homes, rather than moving into condominiums or other housing to make way for new families.
Meanwhile, many new families looking to join the district are daunted by the cost of new housing, he told the newspaper.
A recent conference of school business managers revealed that Verona, Middleton and Oregon are tracking decreased enrollment as well, according to Summers.
DeForest, notably, could be an exception among Dane County suburbs, and Summers credited the substantial amount of housing being built there.
