Public school enrollment is shrinking across much of the United States, but nowhere faster than West Virginia. An August 2026 study by family location-tracking app iSharing found that the state lost more than 10,500 public school students between 2021 and 2024, a decline of 4.2%, the steepest in the country, according to family location-tracking app iSharing,
The trend reflects a broader demographic shift. Births have fallen in 44 of the 50 states, meaning many schools are receiving smaller incoming classes. In West Virginia, births dropped 18.3% between 2005 and 2024. New Mexico experienced an even larger 26% decline. Migration can offset some of these losses, but in many states it has not been enough to reverse the trend.
The iSharing study compared public school enrollment across all 50 states over three years and examined changes in births and migration. It also considered federal projections for 2031 to identify where enrollment could fall further.
West Virginia ranked first, with enrollment falling from about 252,000 students in 2021 to 242,000 in 2024. Although the state recorded slightly positive net migration, declining births continue to reduce the number of school-age children. Enrollment is projected to fall to roughly 217,000 by 2031, another 13.5% decline.
Hawaii ranked second after losing more than 6,000 students, or 3.5%, in three years. Unlike West Virginia, Hawaii faces pressure from both declining births and population loss. Births are down 16.8% since 2005, while net migration was negative. By 2031, Hawaii could lose another 16% of its public school enrollment, the largest projected decline among the states highlighted in the study.
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