In a previous post about the dropout rate in Lynn, I noticed something interesting about Lynn Vocational Technical Institute's (LVTI) enrollment over the last five years - it has declined substantially from where it was just 5 or 6 years ago. See below:
| 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | |
| LVTI Total Population | 1,153 | 1,118 | 1,165 | 1,066 | 882 |
During the 2005-06 school year, Lynn Tech had an enrollment of over 1,100 students; by 2009-10, it had decreased to 882 students; Lynn Tech's enrollment in 2010-11 had further decreased to just 809 students.
As the emphasis in education these days seems to solely be placed on attending college and increasing the number of college graduates in the U.S., it makes sense that the enrollment at a vocational school would decline. Lynn Tech's declining numbers may not, however, be indicative of a larger trend away from vocational education. That leaves us to wonder what's happening in other vocational/technical schools across the state and how similar or dissimilar Lynn Tech's enrollment situation is when compared to other vocational schools.
Below is a table tracking the total enrollment for vocational/technical schools in Massachusetts from 2005-06 to 2009-10. Vocational schools in Massachusetts whose numbers decreased considerably over this 5 year period are highlighted in yellow.
| 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | |
| Assabet Regional Vocational Tech | 916 | 925 | 930 | 933 | 963 |
| Blackstone Valley Regional Voc Tech | 923 | 993 | 1,045 | 1,103 | 1,136 |
| Blue Hills Regional Vocational Tech | 826 | 851 | 851 | 844 | 842 |
| Bristol County Agricultural | 430 | 435 | 429 | 429 | 441 |
| Bristol Plymouth Regional Voc Tech | 1,079 | 1,119 | 1,163 | 1,195 | 1,206 |
| Cape Cod Regional Voc Tech | 721 | 686 | 723 | 702 | 683 |
| Essex Agricultural Technical | 420 | 439 | 449 | 442 | 462 |
| Franklin County Regional Voc Tech | 543 | 526 | 525 | 517 | 511 |
| Greater Fall River Regional Voc Tech | 1,311 | 1,351 | 1,354 | 1,354 | 1,352 |
| Greater Lawrence Regional Voc Tech | 1,485 | 1,462 | 1,261 | 1,170 | 1,195 |
| Greater Lowell Regional Voc Tech | 1,935 | 1,919 | 1,944 | 1,906 | 1,993 |
| Greater New Bedford Regional Voc Tech | 1,994 | 2,011 | 2,022 | 2,064 | 2,106 |
| Lynn Voc Tech | 1,153 | 1,118 | 1,165 | 1,066 | 882 |
| Medford Voc Tech | 262 | 257 | 252 | 255 | 232 |
| Minuteman Regional Voc Tech | 703 | 653 | 638 | 625 | 583 |
| Montachusett Regional Voc Tech | 1,269 | 1,301 | 1,323 | 1,341 | 1,355 |
| Nashoba Valley Regional Voc Tech | 561 | 601 | 619 | 642 | 662 |
| Norfolk County Agricultural | 457 | 468 | 459 | 454 | 470 |
| North Shore Regional Voc Tech | 457 | 465 | 443 | 447 | 451 |
| Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural | 457 | 484 | 453 | 460 | 464 |
| Northeast Metropolitan Regional Voc Tech | 1,209 | 1,258 | 1,244 | 1,245 | 1,249 |
| Northern Berkshire Regional Voc Tech | 491 | 516 | 511 | 500 | 500 |
| Old Colony Regional Voc Tech | 558 | 582 | 569 | 572 | 583 |
| Pathfinder Regional Voc Tech | 657 | 652 | 649 | 615 | 645 |
| Putnam Voc Tech | 1,163 | 1,328 | 1,471 | 1,586 | 1,626 |
| Shawsheen Valley Regional Voc Tech | 1,226 | 1,246 | 1,258 | 1,268 | 1,300 |
| South Middlesex Regional Voc Tech | 715 | 708 | 638 | 632 | 642 |
| South Shore Regional Voc Tech | 592 | 592 | 592 | 548 | 595 |
| Southeastern Regional Voc Tech | 1,219 | 1,202 | 1,233 | 1,251 | 1,257 |
| Southern Worcester Regional Voc Tech | 1,061 | 1,106 | 1,105 | 1,097 | 1,115 |
| Tri County Regional Voc Tech | 851 | 896 | 916 | 916 | 964 |
| Upper Cape Cod Regional | 627 | 629 | 653 | 648 | 672 |
| Westfield Voc Tech | 516 | 499 | 499 | 482 | 468 |
| Whittier Regional Voc Tech | 1,145 | 1,102 | 1,091 | 1,178 | 1,206 |
| Worcester Technical | 1,063 | 1,199 | 1,268 | 1,344 | 1,391 |
| Wm J Dean Voc Tech | 718 | 771 | 750 | 663 | 652 |
From this we see that vocational school enrollment is not necessarily declining at all schools. There are really only six vocational schools that showed a steep decline in students from 2005-06 to 2009-10. It is interesting to note that three of the six schools whose enrollment decreased are not regional vocational schools (Westfield Tech, Dean Tech-Holyoke, Lynn Tech). Perhaps being a city vocational school as opposed to a regional one contributes to this particular issue; because non-regional vocational schools only take students from one city, changes in the educational climate or attitude may resulting in a smaller number of students seeking a more technically oriented education. Regional vocational schools, on the hand, like North Shore Tech sometimes use an admissions process, so a decline in interest for this type of education can be off set by simply enrolling more of the students who do apply. On the flip side, some of the schools listed here actually saw huge increases in their student populations (ex. Assabet, Worcester, Putnam- Springfield). Thus, overall, there may not be a total lack of interest in vocational education in Massachusetts like we are seeing in Lynn. An important step for the administration at Tech and the school committee would be to pinpoint why students are choosing not to go to Tech (stigma, lack of knowledge about school, transportation). Highlighting the benefits of a technical education especially for those who do not enjoy more "academic" subjects could not only be one potential avenue toward reducing the dropout rate in Lynn, but would also ensure the existence of a school with a hands-on approach to learning for future Lynn youth.
*All Data Taken From: http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/dropout/
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