Fewer students, and the money follows them out

What happened

Collingswood's enrolment on roll was 2,217 in October 2024, 2,191 in October 2025 and an estimated 2,105 for October 2026. The district's own budget projection puts high school enrolment at 613 for 2026-27 against 750 the year before, a fall of 137 in one year. The number of pupils the two sending districts place in Collingswood schools drops from 409 in 2024 to 391 in 2025 to an estimated 264 in 2026, and with them tuition income falls from $8,107,047 actually received in 2024-25 to $6,351,819 budgeted for 2026-27; tuition is nearly 15% of the budget. Administrators told the board that transfers out of the rising ninth grade ran 14, then 30, then 38 over three years, and that about twenty pupils from one sending district chose the county technical school instead, for its new career and technical programmes and for transport.

Why it matters to families

Every departure takes money with it, either state aid or tuition, and the district cannot replace it locally because its levy is already at the cap. Falling secondary enrolment is the stated reason for merging the middle and high school. The district also loses aid as it shrinks for a second reason: the state says Collingswood currently receives $1,401,009 more equalisation aid than its formula calls for, and told the district to expect reductions each year until the two figures meet. The district's own analysis rates tuition volatility a high-impact risk.

The evidence

The advertised 2026-27 budget records pupils on roll of 2,217 actual at October 15, 2024, 2,191 actual at October 15, 2025 and 2,105 estimated at October 15, 2026, pupils received of 409, 391 and 264, and tuition revenue of $8,107,047, $6,798,030 and $6,351,819. The 2026-27 budget presentation gives projected high school enrolment of 613 against 750 and states the district is overfunded in equalisation aid by $1,401,009 and expects annual decreases until the actual state calculation is reached. The March 23, 2026 recording gives the rising-ninth-grade transfer counts of 14, 30 and 38 and the county technical school figure.

The source