It’s back to school at Clark College, where an estimated 11,717 Penguins returned to class Monday.
Fall quarter began with a slightly lower number of students enrolled, according to a college news release. While official numbers won’t be released for another 10 days, initial enrollment numbers suggest about 2.8 percent fewer students were enrolled from last year’s 12,055. But Clark College was expecting that decline, according to a news release.
The decline mirrors enrollment trends at community colleges across the nation. According to Inside Higher Ed, community college enrollment has been declining since after the Great Recession in 2010, and that’s projected to continue over the next eight years.
Still, some sectors are growing at Clark College. Enrollment in online classes, for example, grew by 10 percent, with more than 5,220 enrolled in a so-called “e-learning” program. There was also a 12 percent increase in the number of students identifying themselves as veterans, up to 349 students.
