LEWISTON, Idaho – With four consecutive years of enrollment growth, including a 4.3% uptick this fall, Lewis-Clark State College’s headcount has climbed past 4,000 for the first time in school history, according to official census day totals. LC State’s overall headcount has increased to 4,047, eclipsing its record of 3,999 in 2011.
“LC State is proud to be a small school where students thrive and go on to do big things, and we always will be,” LC State President Cynthia Pemberton said. “And we are proud to be seeing strategic growth at a time when many small colleges like ours, especially in rural regions like ours, are facing sharp enrollment declines. This growth is important for our workforce, especially in areas such as healthcare, for our region and throughout Idaho.”
LC State’s growth is across the board as fulltime equivalent enrollment is up 4.5%, degree seeking first-time students are up 8%, and divisions such as Humanities (up 22%), Business & Computer Science (15%), Nursing & Health Sciences (12%), and Technical & Industrial (7%) saw significant gains.
The school is also benefiting from growth in new programs, including more than 20 students pursuing graduate-level coursework, up from eight last year. LC State’s lead role and statewide footprint in prison education is also adding 183 students to the headcount, thanks to growing enrollment in Orofino (103), Boise (65), and Pocatello (15).
Pemberton shared some of these totals during LC State’s annual report at the Idaho State Board of Education Meeting on Wednesday. More details from census are expected to become available in the coming days.