西弗吉尼亚公立学校入学人数再减8270人，人口流失与择校分流双重挤压
州教育厅最新公布的认证入学数据显示，西弗吉尼亚州公立学校入学人数今年再减少8270人，降至226,687人，同比下降3.5%。罗恩县降幅最大，接近15%；明戈县流失近一成学生；杰克逊县降幅不到1%。与此同时，全州人口也在持续萎缩，从2015年的近200万降至2025年的约175万。
据MetroNews今晨报道，今年是HOPE奖学金计划首次实现全民可申请的学年，进一步分流了公立学校生源。入学人数直接挂钩州拨款公式：学生减少意味着学区经费缩水，而校舍维护、校车线路等固定成本难以同比例下降，乡村小学区正面临并校、裁员与推迟维修的多重压力。
教育界人士指出，人口外流、出生率下降与择校扩张三重因素叠加，使西弗吉尼亚公立学校生源持续流失。
West Virginia Public School Enrollment Falls Another 8,270, Squeezed by Population Loss and School-Choice Diversion
The latest certified enrollment data released by the state Department of Education show West Virginia public school enrollment fell another 8,270 students this year, to 226,687, a decline of 3.5%. Roane County saw the steepest drop, nearly 15%; Mingo County lost nearly a tenth of its students; Jackson County's decline was under 1%. Meanwhile, the state's population continues to shrink, from nearly 2 million in 2015 to about 1.75 million in 2025.
According to MetroNews this morning, this is the first school year in which the HOPE Scholarship program is open to all applicants, further diverting students from the public school system. Enrollment is directly tied to the state funding formula: fewer students mean shrinking district budgets, while fixed costs such as building maintenance and bus routes cannot fall proportionally, and rural small districts face combined pressures of school consolidation, layoffs and deferred maintenance.
Education observers note that the combination of population outflow, declining birth rates and expanding school choice is driving continued enrollment losses in West Virginia's public schools.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：西弗吉尼亚州议会大厦 / West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston — Daniel G Rego, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
