Enrollment in Iowa’s public schools continued to increase this school year according to figures from the Iowa Department of Education.

Jay Pennington, chief of the Department’s Bureau of Information and Analysis Says school enrollment was up four-tenths of one percent to 480,772 students in grades K through 12. Pennington says an analysis of census data and kindergarten enrollments indicate the upward trend in enrollment won’t continue.

The five schools with the largest increase in enrollment in the last five years were: Waukee (31%), Bondurant-Farrar (27%), Dallas Center-Grimes (21%), Ankeny (20%) and Seymour (18%). Four of the five are suburban Des Moines districts. Pennington says the continued declining enrollment in rural districts means more will look at consolidating.

The districts that saw the biggest declines in enrollment this school year were: Ventura, which lost 33 percent; Walnut, which lost 25 percent; Corwith-Welsey, which lost 25 percent; West Harrison, which lost 20 percent and Northeast Hamilton, which lost 19 percent. The 2014-15 enrollment summary by school district is available online at the Education Department’s website.