WA families delaying kindergarten, relying more on alternative learning

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Families in Washington are delaying starting kindergarten and relying more on alternative learning for kids.

Data from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction shows a decrease of nearly 3% in enrollment in Washington’s public K-12 schools compared to enrollment numbers from last September.

That’s equivalent to nearly 31,000 students out of nearly 1.1 million total.

About one third of the total decrease is attributed to kindergarten-age children not enrolling or delaying their kindergarten start.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal says several states across the country are seeing similar changes.