ST. PAUL -- Enrollment in the state's public schools is down this year. The Minnesota Department of Education released the 2020-2021 school enrollment data Friday.

Total enrollment is down about two percent -- or about 17,000 students. The biggest decline is in the kindergarten class which is down nine percent.

Meanwhile, there was an increase in the number of students choosing nonpublic options with a 12.4 percent increase in kindergarten enrollment. The most significant increase is seen in the number of students in home school, a 49.5 percent increase from last school year.

When broken down by race and ethnicity, the Minnesota Department of Education says the vast majority of the decline in enrollment in public schools is in white students.

Statewide, the white student enrollment saw a 3.7 percent decrease from the previous school year which translates to more than 20,000 students.

On average, one student in Minnesota generates just over $10,000 in general education revenue for a school district.

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