Florida public school enrollment hits five-year low

Florida's student enrollment fell to a five-year low this fall, returning the school population nearly to what it was before the real estate boom ushered tens of thousands of children into the state's classrooms. The most recent Department of Education figures show that enrollment the first half of the school year was the lowest it has been since 2002-2003. Florida lost about 24,000 students in the past year alone.