“The home-school population in the Ely area is down sharply from this time last year.

“According to statistics presented at Monday’s regular school board meeting, 24 children between ages 7-16 are being home-schooled in the Ely district.

“That’s down from 34 in the fall of 2011, and the shift includes five students that were formerly home-schooled that are now enrolled in Ely’s public schools.

“‘It’s nice to see that we’ve gained five students from that population,’ said board member Amy Richter. ‘That’s encouraging,’”

reports the Ely Echo.