It doesn’t seem right that Lawrence’s growing population should be accompanied by a decline in public school enrollment.

Something doesn’t add up. Lawrence has been one of the fastest growing cities in Kansas in the past decade. And the Lawrence school system has been rated by some as one of the best in the country.

Yet, even though the town is growing and the local school system is lauded for its excellence, enrollment is dropping.

If it is such an outstanding system, wouldn’t parents naturally want to have their children enrolled here? A larger population would seem to equate to more school-age children. Is that the case, or are housing costs causing a demographic shift by pushing many young couples with school-age children to surrounding towns?

If there are more school-age children living within the local district, why aren’t they going to one of the city’s public schools?

Are they going to one of the excellent parochial schools in the area? Has Bishop Seabury Academy cut into public school numbers? How about local private schools, Montessori schools, alternative schools and an increased number of students being schooled at home? Added to these possibilities are the matter of more Lawrence residents choosing to have their children attend schools in nearby communities like Eudora, De Soto, Baldwin and Tonganoxie.

Whatever the case, Lawrence school officials, as well as Lawrence taxpayers, should be concerned. It certainly presents a challenge for school officials to try to figure out what facilities and improvements the district will need in the future. Will more schools see a dangerous decline in student headcounts?

The biggest question, however, is why wouldn’t more parents want their children enrolled in the public school system in a university community where officials pride themselves on making their schools among the best in the state?

Maybe there needs to be a study of how the schools are perceived by students and their parents, as well as parents who decided to enroll their children elsewhere or elected to teach their children at home. What do students have to say about local schools? What is it that determines whether parents enroll their children in the Lawrence public schools or select another option?

Are other university cities such as Manhattan, Columbia, Mo., Stillwater, Okla., Norman, Okla., and Ames, Iowa, experiencing similar enrollment declines, or is the Lawrence situation unique?

School officials and taxpayers need to find some answers to these and many other questions.