When school started this year in Halliday, the difference was audible. After the district's enrollment dropped by more than half, the halls were quieter, Superintendent Merlin Dahl said.

Dahl and other officials also have new worries. When the new enrollment is applied to a state funding formula, he estimates that the district could lose about $70,000.

"If we cut people back to part time in Halliday, it'll be tough to keep them," Dahl said. "Out here in rural North Dakota, we're tickled to get full-time people if we can."

Halliday's drop was more pronounced than in many other districts - 34 students compared to 79 last year, according to new state enrollment figures. But the Dunn County school is not the only one losing students.

The Department of Public Instruction says the state has about 101,100 public school students, compared with about 103,000 last year. Rural schools are losing the most, said Jerry Coleman, assistant director of school finance for the Department of Public Instruction.

"We're not surprised about what we're seeing," Coleman said. "A rule of thumb we're seeing is about 2,000 less students every year."

The reasons for the enrollment decline are familiar: rising costs, fewer students. "Families are getting smaller than what they used to be," Center Superintendent Royal Lyson said.

Enrollment figures show only eight counties had growth in the number of public school students. They include Barnes, Benson, Billings, Cass, Oliver, Slope and Steele counties, but the leader is Sioux County, where public school enrollment climbed nearly 28 percent. State figures show the former Fort Yates district gained about 90 students.

In Halliday, a large part of the exodus came after voters rejected a plan to merge the district with nearby Killdeer.

Upset parents pushed the state Legislature to alter a law restricting the number of students allowed to opt out of one public school for another, but the measure failed. The Halliday School Board later decided to let the families go, anyway.

"It was such a sore spot with everyone that we felt it was easier to let them go," said Lynnette Frafford, the school board president.

In Killdeer, Superintendent Gary Wilz saw enrollment climb by about 10 percent. Students from Grassy Butte, which closed its school last summer, joined those migrating from Halliday. The district now has about 400 students.

The biggest effect has been the addition of bus service to those areas, Wilz said. The school has the same transportation budget, but had to buy a $50,000 bus for runs to Grassy Butte.

"Now I'm paying a driver, and paying maintenance and fuel on another bus," Wilz said.

Susi and Kenny Weisz said their three children are happy after moving to Killdeer from Halliday this year. Although the quality of education is about the same, "Our deciding factor was just the fact that there are more kids in the class, and a teacher per class," Susi Weisz said.

"Each one of our children had their own strengths about their learning abilities." Kenny Weisz said. "We felt that the new school was able to fulfill those abilities better."

The gain in the former Fort Yates district came after the school combined operations through a joint powers agreement with the former Standing Rock Grant School.

Students in grades six through eight attend classes at the former public school, and the system has two superintendents, two school boards and two separate budgets.

Superintendent Clyde Naasz said the schools saved money on shared resources and can offer more classes, but the influx of students has been a challenge.

"All of a sudden in your classes, instead of five to 13 (students), now we're talking 23 to 27 kids," Naasz said. "For our employees, yes, it was a massive change because they haven't dealt with that for a while."

Other schools combined this year, and more are due to follow. Voters in Center and Stanton overwhelmingly approved a school merger last week, becoming one of the latest entries on a list that showed three new districts in the state this year.

"That's going to be the rule instead of the exception here as we continue to see declining enrollment in rural North Dakota," said Dahl, the Halliday superintendent.

Maple Valley and Oriska combined this year, as did Litchville and Marion. The new Lewis and Clark District near Minot brought together the Northshore, Plaza and Berthold schools.