Enrollment in Utah schools continued to grow this school year even as budgets shrank.

This fall, enrollment grew by about 2.2 percent over last fall or by about 12,260 students, according to enrollment data released by the State Office of Education on Wednesday. That growth came despite a net 5.2 percent cut to the state's education budget for this school year.

The numbers also show dramatic growth in charter school enrollment and a continuing uptick in the number of minority students.

"It's going to be a tough year because more children and less money means that somewhere services will go down," said Debra Roberts, chair of the State Board of Education. "I hope parents and community members will understand we're going to have to step up in whatever way we can to support our local schools."

And next budget year won't likely be any better. In fact, state officials expect as many as 11,000 more students in fall 2010, said State Superintendent Larry Shumway. But they don't expect more money for those students.

If the state's school budget remains the same but more students enter Utah schools, it could mean a drop in the amount of money spent per student. Utah already has the lowest base per pupil spending in the nation. "When our enrollment grows and the budget shrinks it magnifies the effect of those cuts," Shumway said.

The State Board of Education plans to discuss the matter Friday at its monthly meeting. Board members

will likely ask state leaders to at least give education next school year the same amount of money it got this school year by dipping into the state's Rainy Day Fund and by using $100 million set aside for education in 2008.

The numbers released Wednesday also show an explosion in the growth of charter school enrollment, which grew by nearly 25 percent this fall over last, according to the data.

Statewide, about 6 percent of public school students are enrolled in charter schools, according to the enrollment data. And a recent report by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked the Alpine and Jordan school districts among the top 50 in the nation for the number of their students enrolled in charter schools.

Brian Allen, chairman of the State Charter School Board, attributed the jump in Utah charter enrollment to new schools opening, schools expanding and to schools filling slots that may have been open in the past.

"We have a great school system in our state, but it doesn't really fit everybody," Allen said. "You need options for those who don't fit in a traditional system and that's what charter schools offer."

He said charter schools are also working to serve minority students, another growing demographic in the state. For example, American Preparatory Academy recently opened a satellite school in West Valley City, The School for New Americans, that works with immigrant and refugee children.

Across the state, the number of minority students grew by about 3 percent this year over last. More than one-fifth of Utah students are now minority students, according to the data.

In three Utah school districts -- Ogden, Salt Lake City and San Juan -- minority students make up the majority of students. Four charter schools also have a majority of minority students: Uintah River High in Fort Duchesne, Guadalupe School and Dual Immersion Academy in Salt Lake City and Success School in Taylorsville.

Roberts said the increasing numbers of minority students in Utah means the state must do a better job of figuring out how to educate children from diverse backgrounds.

Nationwide, large gaps exist between white students and students from some minority groups when it comes to academic achievement and high school graduation rates. In Utah, only 69 percent of Latino seniors graduated in 2008, compared with 91 percent of white seniors.

Latinos are Utah's largest minority group. This fall, more than 14 percent of students in Utah public schools are Latino.

Nearly 48 percent of students in the Ogden district are Latino, according to the data. The district tries to serve those students by seeking more minority teachers and by working to connect with families and communities, said Eulogio Alejandre, assistant principal at Washington High in the Ogden district. The district also expects all teachers to earn English as a second language endorsements and undergo REACH training (Respecting Ethnic and Cultural Heritage), which teaches educators how to better work with minority students.

"The minority-majority, in the very near future, will be in positions of authority, prepared or unprepared," said Alejandre, who also sits on the state board's Coalition of Minorities Advisory Committee. "Their success is our success."