Tri-County IB program will not run in 2023-2024

Ethan Keating staff writer

After 17 years of existence at WHS, the Tri-County International Baccalaureate Academy will not be enrolling a new class of juniors in the 2023-24 school year.

According to a statement released by James Ritchie, Superintendent of the Tri-County Educational Service Center, the interest and student enrollment in the IB program have been dwindling in recent years.

“This decrease in enrollment has fundamentally impacted the IB program. As a result, superintendents in the tri-county area have reached the difficult decision to not enroll new students in this program for the upcoming school year,” Ritchie said.

According to Victoria Birk, the Tri-County International Academy IB Diploma Program Coordinator, there is a set fee in order to run the program, and that fee is divided by the number of students enrolled which is paid for by the school districts. Birk said the ideal number of students in the program between the junior and senior classes is 50 students. With only nine students applying to the program for next year, it is not economically feasible to run.

“Our latest enrollment number for the class of 2025 was incredibly low. Even if we could get local support in the way of contributions