Thetford — Faced with a projection that enrollment numbers at Thetford Academy will continue to decline, school officials announced they intend to trim more than five positions from their 76-member workforce next school year.

Head of School Bill Bugg said the equivalent of 2.16 full-time faculty and 3.25 full-time nonteaching positions would be lost for the 2018-19 school year.

“Despite the proposed reductions, Thetford Academy will continue to offer a robust set of academic courses and extracurricular activities, and no programs are slated for elimination,” Bugg said late Monday afternoon.

The academy, which is a private entity but also is designated as the public school for Thetford, has been caught in the same decadeslong declining enrollment trend that has threatened small schools throughout Vermont — between 2010 and 2014, the state shed nearly 5,000 students, to about 79,500.

Bugg said the reduction in workforce is being considered as part of a budget cut due to “our projections for next year’s enrollment, and in the context of statewide demographic trends and education spending and property tax concerns.”

Minutes from Thetford Academy School Board meetings show that the enrollment for FY19 is estimated at 312 students, down from 318 in the current year, and 338 last year.

The declines have lowered the school’s tuition revenues, even as the School Board has increased the tuition rate, which was $17,998 last year. The board approved a tuition rate of $19,187 during its Jan. 11 meeting on a 15-2 vote.

About two-thirds of the academy’s students come from the town of Thetford. It also has partnership agreements with Lyme and Strafford that guarantee conditional acceptance for students from those towns, with the balance coming from about 10 sending towns and a small international program that is projected to have eight students enrolled.

In December, Linda Lanteigne-Magoon, the school’s chief financial officer, told the board the international student program was not as cost-positive as it once was because fewer international students are paying full tuition, while stipends to host families have increased by about 20 percent to make up for taxes, which previously were not being paid on the stipends.

Bugg did not identify which positions were being targeted for reduction, but said efforts would be made to handle the loss through attrition.

“In cases where employees retire, take a leave of absence, or decide not to return, we will attempt to leave these positions unfilled or invite existing employees to apply, as appropriate,” he said.

Before the cuts are finalized, the Thetford Academy Education Association has an opportunity to formally weigh in, through a discussion with the School Board and Bugg.

Bugg said he anticipates the final decision will be made by mid-March, “but no later than May 25.”

Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported current enrollment.