One-Third of Wyoming Districts Hit All-Time Lows in 2026

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Seventeen of Wyoming's 51 school districts are at their lowest enrollment in the entire 26-year data record. That is one-third of the state's districts, up from five just a decade ago.

The all-time-low list spans every tier of Wyoming's system. Uinta #1 (2,539 students) and Fremont #25 (2,250) are mid-size regional hubs. Energy-dependent districts like Sweetwater #2 (Green River, 2,201) and Sublette #9 (404) are on it. So are rural districts like Platte #1 (Wheatland, 811), Weston #1 (708), and Sheridan #3 (77).

Wyoming's two largest districts are not yet at their all-time lows, but they are closing in. Laramie #1 (Cheyenne, 12,859) is just 83 students above its 2006 floor. Natrona #1 (Casper, 11,594) is 186 away. At their current pace of decline, both could reach new lows within a year.

At the other end, only four districts are at all-time highs: Sheridan #1 (1,255) and the three new charter academies that opened in 2024-2025.

A rapidly worsening pattern

The share of districts at all-time lows has tripled in a decade. In 2016, at the peak of the energy boom, just 5 of 48 districts (10 percent) were at their historic floor. By 2021, after the COVID shock, 12 districts had reached new lows. A brief recovery brought the number down to 5 in 2022.

Then the acceleration began. Twelve districts hit new lows in 2024. Ten more followed in 2025. And in 2026, the count jumped to 17 — the highest proportion in the data record.

The trend line points in one direction. Each year, more districts set new floor levels that the data has never seen before. For a state with 26 years of enrollment records, reaching uncharted territory in a third of districts in a single year is a signal that the decline is not stabilizing.

Who is at the bottom

The range of districts at all-time lows reveals how broadly the decline has spread.

Uinta #1 (2,539 students) and Fremont #25 (2,250) are mid-size districts that serve as regional hubs. Their presence on the list means the decline is not confined to tiny rural schools or energy-dependent communities — it has reached the districts that anchor multiple counties.

Carbon #1 (Rawlins, 1,592) and Carbon #2 (568) are both at all-time lows, reflecting the combined impact of energy contraction and rural depopulation. Johnson #1 (Buffalo, 1,097) and Washakie #1 (Worland, 1,050) are approaching the threshold below which maintaining a full-service district becomes increasingly difficult.

At the extreme end, Sheridan #3 enrolls 77 students, Platte #2 enrolls 185, and Big Horn #4 enrolls 225 — all at historic lows.

The four at all-time highs

Sheridan #1 is the only established district at an all-time high. Its economy is more diversified than the energy counties — healthcare, tourism, and ranching provide a broader employment base. The other three all-time highs are the new charter academies: Wyoming Classical Academy (367), Cheyenne Classical Academy (186), and Prairie View Community School (126).

The presence of charter schools at all-time highs in a state where one-third of traditional districts are at all-time lows captures Wyoming's enrollment challenge in miniature. The total student pool is shrinking. New schools are dividing it further. And the districts that built their infrastructure for a larger population are left with buildings, staff, and budgets designed for students who are no longer there.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.

Carbon #1 - EdTribune WY - Wyoming Education Data

One-Third of Wyoming Districts Hit All-Time Lows in 2026

A rapidly worsening pattern

Who is at the bottom

The four at all-time highs