On December 1, 2021, Education Policy Initiative Director Chelsea Coffin was quoted by DCist:
Most students who left their schools at the end of last year did not transfer to another campus within the city but moved out of the District entirely, according to city officials. It is hard to pinpoint exactly how many of those departures are because of the pandemic.
Chelsea Coffin, who directs education research at the D.C. Policy Center, said birth rates in the District have declined since 2016, a possible indicator that fewer students can be expected to enroll in school.
She also pointed to research from CBRE, a real estate and investment firm, which found D.C. and other expensive coastal cities experienced some of the highest levels of people moving away during the pandemic.
Read more: Enrollment In D.C. Public Schools Drops For Second Year In A Row | DCist