Estimates Show End to Surge in Community-College Enrollment

National enrollment in community colleges has declined slightly in the past year, following three years of significant increases driven by the economic downturn, according to a report released on Tuesday by the American Association of Community Colleges.

From the fall of 2010 to 2011, total enrollment dropped nearly 1 percent, to 8.3 million, says the report, which is based on estimates by the National Student Clearinghouse and the community-college association. That figure still represents an increase of 22 percent since 2007, a surge resulting from the recession.

Finally, that surge seems to have let up, said David S. Baime, senior vice president for government relations and research at the community-college group. “There’s always a flattening after some especially bad economic downturns,” Mr. Baime told The Chronicle in October, when growth in enrollment appeared to be slowing.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the economy has improved or students are in better financial circumstances, the report says. While the number of full-time students fell, those attending part time went up.

Over all, the proportion of community-college students receiving Pell Grants rose by 17 percent, to more than 2 million, between the first quarters of 2010 and 2011, the report says, using data from the Education Department. Community colleges’ share of Pell Grant recipients increased modestly, to 34 percent, it says, while for-profit institutions’ share dropped slightly, to 15 percent.