Thanks to Shorelines for several in depth articles regarding town finances and efforts to make a decision regarding the “old” Westport High School. What I found surprising was the statement from Supt. Aubin: "…there is no evidence that the district is shrinking or losing students.”

Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary & Secondary (DESE) enrollment data for the school years from 2010 to 2023 shows the grades 1-12 student population declining in nine out of the 12 years. In 2010 the population was 1,601 and declined to 1,270 by 2023. This is shrinkage of 20.1 percent for the district.

The real student loss issue is not best observed from a district perspective, but rather the loss of students after completion of the eighth grade. The percent declines in student counts after the eighth grade are significantly greater than numbers for the school district. Consider the two examples below:

• For the 2017 school year the eighth grade class size was 118 students. Four years later there were just 69 students in the 12th grade class (a 41.5 percent loss).

• For the 2021 school year the eighth grade class size was 116 students. Only 71 students enrolled in the ninth grade the following school year (a 38.8 percent loss). 

Another statement by Supt. Aubin claims “…Westport punches high above its weight every single day."

What does this mean? Are Westport schools performing well compared to similar communities? Westport is ranked 201 out of 353 school districts state wide. Locally, Acushnet and Dartmouth are ranked 112 and 134, respectively. We need to identify and address opportunities for improvement.

Elliot F. Whipple