Lima Reporter

There were 172 pre-kindergarten students enrolled in Auglaize County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 20.4% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Wapakoneta Elementary School welcomed most of the pre-kindergarten students in the county, registering 69 students.

Within Auglaize County schools, the highest student count was found in 10th grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in pre-kindergarten.

Statewide, Auglaize County ranked 45th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 7,322 students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year. It was also ranked 45th the year before.

In 2022, Ohio saw an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 1:15, which is an improvement for the state and is lower than the national average of 1:16.

Despite the apparent improvement, this positive trend is overshadowed by a general decline in public school enrollments, which was accelerated by the pandemic. This decline, aligned with the steady number of teachers in the state over the last 10 years, has led to low student-to-teacher ratios.

School name	# of Pre-kindergarten Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Wapakoneta Elementary School	69	8.3	832
Cridersville Elementary School	53	14.9	355
Waynesfield-Goshen Local Elementary School	50	20.5	244
Waynesfield-Goshen Local High School	0	0	229
New Knoxville High School	0	0	85
New Knoxville Elementary School	0	0	301
New Bremen High School	0	0	369
New Bremen Elementary School	0	0	439
Minster Elementary School	0	0	486
Minster Junior-Senior High School	0	0	372
Wapakoneta High School	0	0	781
Wapakoneta Junior High School	0	0	205
Wapakoneta Middle School	0	0	640
St. Marys West Intermediate School	0	0	418
St. Marys Memorial High School	0	0	582
St. Marys Middle School	0	0	435
St. Marys East Primary School	0	0	446
Auglaize County Educational Academy	0	0	74