Columbia Falls School District 6 enrollment is lower than it was at the start of last year. The district had 2,161 students total as of Sept. 15.

Last year at the beginning of the year it was 2,216, a difference of 55 students.

Enrollment is an important part of the school funding formula, as the state, in part, funds schools based on enrollment.

Enrollment at Ruder Elementary is 449 students, at Glacier Gateway Elementary 503, junior high 531 and 678 at the high school. Last year Ruder was 493, Gateway 469, junior high 554 and the high school 700 at the start of the school year.

Gateway is up, the rest of the schools are down.

The number of young students remains low. The kindergarten class has 125 students, first grade just 118. By comparison, the senior class is 172 students. 

Enrollments vary as the school year goes on, but school officials have said in the past that’s there’s an underlying issue with housing and overall affordability for young families in the district.

For example, the median home price in Columbia Falls is just under $600,000.

But a recent housing study noted it requires a (family) income of about $180,000 at a 6.5% interest rate to afford a $600,000 home.

However, the average annual wage in the Columbia Falls area is just over $52,000 a year, making many homes unaffordable.