Student enrollment up statewide, dwindling numbers threaten to squeeze rural schools

HELENA - Like rural school administrators across Montana, Terry Public Schools Superintendent Joe Krause keeps a close eye on his enrollment numbers.

The Terry District, which serves Prairie County, population 1,100, has 134 students this school year, said Krause, who's new to the superintendent job this year. Only 31 are high schoolers.

Last year, Terry's high school was forced to team up with neighboring Glendive to field a football team through a co-op arrangement. Excluding foreign exchange students, Terry High School's sophomore class has just five students this school year.

"That's like...