(File photo/northeastNOW)

By Cam Lee

Enrollment down

Slight enrollment decrease at NESD matches decade-long trend

Oct 9, 2025 | 1:57 PM

The North East School Division’s enrollment trends have continued into the 2025-26 school year.

Director of Education Stacy Lair told northeastNOW enrollment in the division has slightly declined once again this year.

“We’re down about 30 students, and so we’re just about at 4,600,” Lair said. “Our official numbers are still being confirmed.”

Over the past decade or so, the North East School Division’s enrollment is down by about 150 students. Lair said NESD’s enrollment picture is very similar to that of other similar divisions across the province.

“We see in rural Saskatchewan a slight decline in enrollments across the board, so it would be very similar to other rural school divisions.”

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The enrollment trend is similar in most of NESD’s schools, whether in larger centres or smaller communities.

NESD gained 132 new students into the school division within the year, according to Lair. However, year-over-year, they are down 48 even with the gain of 132.

Lair said there are 143 students that were enrolled in the system that have left and didn’t enroll anywhere else.

“We’re really keeping a close eye on not only that number but also the stories and the supports we can offer behind those numbers to make sure that we can capture those kiddos back into our school and make sure that we’re providing all of the supports and services we can.”

She speculated that some of them may have moved out of the province, but others could simply not have the opportunity for education. Lair said they would like to see that number down to zero, especially for the younger students.

“It’s really important to support those families and students,” Lair said.

Lair said there has been a significant amount of student movement within the division, and childcare availability could account for some of that movement. As childcare opens up, Lair said families are having to think about relocating from one community to another.

Meanwhile, the division has set the election date for a Nipawin board representative for Dec. 17, and Lair said nominations are open until Nov. 12. Lair said being a board member is a great opportunity but does come with responsibilities and necessary time commitments. She recommends anyone interested in the position to contact the division for an outline of those duties and commitments to get a full sense of what being a board member entails.

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com