Each year, as part of the budgeting process, Method Schools enrollment and finance teams set target enrollments for our schools. These target enrollments are set as part of Method’s growth strategy, to meet various state reporting requirements, and ensure the financial stability of Method Schools.
From a financial perspective, enrollment, more specifically average daily attendance (ADA), is critical to annual funding. California allocates public education funding to local education agencies (LEA) primarily based on ADA. In a nutshell, ADA is calculated by dividing the total number of days attended by a student by the total number of days in the school year – 180. A student that has 100% attendance provides the school with 1 full ADA, one that is only at school 50% of the school days only provides 0.5 (one half) an ADA. The LEA is then funded based on total ADA in the previous school year.
Method’s initial ADA projections for the 22-23 fiscal year, at the time of the annual adopted budget in May 2022, were projected to be 1000. LEAs must report actual ADA to the California Department of Education twice a year, known as P1 and P2 data. Method’s P2 data reported in April 2023 was 902. For an online school where enrollments can fluctuate much more than traditional brick and mortar schools, hitting projected ADA within a 10% margin is something to get excited about! Meeting ADA projections provides for sustained state revenue streams to meet the needs of our students.
As for the near missed bulls’ eye, let’s not forget, a strategically placed triple 20 beats a bulls’ eye every time!
Data Files Referenced:
Method Schools SD P-2 Data For 2022-23
Method Schools LA P-2 Data For 2022-23
