LA GRANDE — Enrollment in school districts outside of La Grande in Union County is up from a year ago. The county’s largest district, though, has 2,247 students, down about 100 from the same time a year ago.

La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza attributed the decline to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The impact of COVID-19 is definitely the reason,” Mendoza said.

The La Grande School District is not able to hold onsite classes because of the pandemic but instead is offering online instruction via its new Comprehensive Distance Education program and its La Grande Learning Academy, run in partnership with the InterMountain Education Service District’s Virtual Learning Academy.

Much of the school district’s enrollment decrease has been at the kindergarten through second-grade level. Kindergarten has 154 students, down 31 from a year ago.

Mendoza said more families are choosing to homeschool their children, enroll their children in online academies or transfer to charter schools in Union County that are able to offer onsite instruction. Mendoza said he believes parents are homeschooling their children because they want to be at home with them during this uncertain time.

“I don’t fault them for trying to do what they think is best for their family,” Mendoza said.

He said some families are enrolling their students in online academies because they have more experience delivering distance education instruction than the La Grande School District does.

Enrollment looks better at the secondary level in La Grande. The middle school has 507 students, down slightly from a year ago.

La Grande High School has 650 students, roughly equal to its 2019 total.

The La Grande Learning Academy, which had 60 students a year ago, now has 208. It has 102 elementary school students, 56 middle schoolers and 50 high school students. LLA is part of the school district but its students take all their classes online, which this year are provided by the Intermountain Education Service District. These prerecorded classes are different from the live-streamed instruction at the core of the Comprehensive Distance Learning program.

Mendoza said the overall enrollment decline in the district is not surprising.

“We expected a decrease (because of COVID-19),” he said.

The superintendent said had there not been a pandemic, enrollment likely would have been flat in part because no new major businesses have come into the area recently.

Enrollment in the rest of the county is a bit rosier. These smaller districts are able to offer onsite classes again, welcoming students back to their campuses after closing their doors in mid-March.

The Elgin School District has 444 students, four more than a year ago. The total includes nine students taking classes online via the InterMountain Education Service District’s Virtual Learning Academy, which provides students in the district’s service area the option of taking online classes while remaining an integral part of their public schools.

Elgin Superintendent Dianne Greif said she finds the bump encouraging, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It shows that the community has confidence in us, and that is what we want,” Greif said.

Enrollment in the Cove School District is up 12 from a year ago at 302. The total includes 261 students who are taking classes onsite and 41 enrolled in the school district’s new online program, which also is part of the IMESD’s virtual academy.

Cove Superintendent Earl Pettit said the majority of the 41 students taking online courses are doing so not because they fear for their safety during the pandemic but because they dislike the requirements onsite students face, which include wearing masks, using only specified entry and exit routes and remaining with a small cohort each school day.

“The ESD’s program has been a huge help,” Pettit said.

Since the school year began Aug. 31, Pettit said, a number of Cove’s online students have begun taking classes onsite instead. This was a simple switch for the students because they are already enrolled in the school district.

The Imbler School District has 295 students, down nine from 2019. Eight students are taking classes online and 287 are taking classes onsite.

Imbler School District Superintendent Angie Lakey-Campbell said a portion of the drop may be due to parents choosing to homeschool their children because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lakey-Campbell said she believes there is a good chance these students will come back to the school district once the pandemic subsides.

The Union School District has 383 students, an increase of seven from a year ago. The total includes 30 students taking online classes via the IMESD Virtual Learning Academy.

Union School District Superintendent Carter Wells said it is a relief to have so many students back on campus. He said many students wanted to return to the physical classroom because it instills a sense of normality in their lives and provides them with a familiar rhythm and routine.

Enrollment in the North Powder School District is up six from last year to 277 students, including 10 online students.

North Powder Superintendent Lance Dixon said he is delighted to have so many students return to campus. He said he went into education because he wanted to work with young people in person, not via a computer.

“It takes away part of who you are and what you do when you don’t have kids in the building,” Dixon said.