Public schools in Lake County's urban core continue to see declining enrollment. Numbers from the October 1 enrollment count were released by the Indiana Department of Education Thursday.
The Gary Community School Corporation saw the biggest decline locally. It now has fewer than 4,400 students, a drop of almost 400 from last year and less than half of what it had ten years ago. School City of Hammond remains the region's largest school district, despite an almost 350-student drop that pushed its student count below 12,000.
The school district with the biggest enrollment increase locally was the Hanover Community School Corporation. It added more than 100 students, bringing its total count to more than 2,600. Ten years ago, it had fewer than 2,100.
In Porter County, the Valparaiso Community School Corporation's enrollment went up by almost 100, but Portage Township Schools remains the county's largest school corporation.