At a school board meeting, the superintendent presented preliminary enrollment figures and district assessment data showing the districts total enrollment fell from 2,154 to 2,086 students compared with the same date a year earlier and that several statewide proficiency and growth measures dropped.

The superintendent said the numbers are not final and come from the districts benchmark system (ELS) and preliminary state reporting, and that final results will be posted by NDE in September. The presentation included school-by-school enrollment totals and teacher-level benchmark reports for grades 3 through 8.

The enrollment numbers shown to the board were: elementary school, down from 792 to 779; the upper grade configuration, down from 317 to 282; junior high, down from 354 to 341; and high school, down from 691 to 684. "So at this time, last year, we had 2,154 students compared to this year, 2,086," the superintendent told the board.

On assessment results, the superintendent said districtwide reading proficiency fell 2.5 points, history proficiency fell 6.3 points and science proficiency fell 6.5 points; math proficiency was described as holding steady. The superintendent also reported changes in growth and other indicators: "Math low growth... losing 24 points. So that went from 71 to 46," and said graduation rate was down about 4 points while college- and career-readiness rose roughly 4.2 points and acceleration rose 2.3 points.

The superintendent explained how the ELS projection works and showed teacher-level reports that compare a students baseline score and the systems expected performance to actual state-test results. "So when you have a 4 go to a 2, you lose the proficiency point and you also lose the growth point," the superintendent said, describing how individual student changes translate into school-level proficiency and growth points.

Board members asked what the district was doing differently to address declines. The superintendent pointed to teacher absenteeism and class-combination issues in some grades as drivers of low science scores and said retirements in major subject areas reduced instructional capacity at the high school. She told the board she would bring principals to the September meeting so they could answer questions about specific classroom and program interventions.

The superintendent emphasized the preliminary nature of the numbers: "These are still not official numbers from NDE... they'll not be final until September." She also warned that some previously banked scores would affect this year's profile and that recovered points in some schools in prior years had masked vulnerabilities now evident in the districtwide results.

Next steps the superintendent described: final NDE results in September, principal presentations on causes and corrective actions, and continued use of ELS benchmark data and teacher-level reports to target interventions.

The board did not take any formal action on the assessment data at the meeting; the superintendent said she would return with finalized scores and principals prepared to discuss school-level strategies.

The presentation covered grades 38 reports and high school indicators; individual teacher reports with no student names were distributed to board members for review and follow-up questions.