01 / 01
Tools
Planet Kidz · School Year Comparison
Where did the children
go?
A look at SY 2024-25 vs. SY 2025-26 Sunday attendance - and why most of the decline has a simple explanation. Easter & weather Sundays excluded. 32 vs. 36 Sundays in scope.
SY 24-25 Avg / Sunday
71.0
SY 25-26 Avg / Sunday
62.8
Change
−8.2
Roster Size
~230
17-Month View · January 2025 - May 2026
A steady erosion, not a sudden drop.
Monthly average Sunday attendance over the entire sample period. The decline started gently in fall 2025 and never recovered.
SY 24-25 Months
SY 25-26 Months
Peak Month
79.3
April 2025
Lowest Month
54.8
December 2025 (holiday)
Peak → Now
−22%
79 → 62 per Sunday
Trend Slope
↘
~9.5 fewer kids/year
At a Glance · SY 24-25 vs. SY 25-26
The roster is stable. Behavior changed.
230 vs. 229 children registered. Same families, same membership status - they're just showing up less.
Avg Children / Sunday
SY 24-25
71.0
→
SY 25-26
62.8
↓ −8.2 (−11.6%)
Members per Sunday
SY 24-25
54.3
→
SY 25-26
50.1
↓ −4.2 (−7.7%)
Regular Attenders
SY 24-25
9.6
→
SY 25-26
7.6
↓ −2.0 (−20.7%)
Guests per Sunday
SY 24-25
7.1
→
SY 25-26
5.0
↓ −2.1 (−29.2%)
?
Members drop the most in absolute terms (−4.2/Sunday). Guests drop the most proportionally (−29%). This isn't a recruiting problem - 229 of 230 last year's kids are still on the roster. The same children are simply attending fewer Sundays. Tap any card to see its 17-month trend.
Metric
Title
Monthly average over the 17-month sample period
SY 24-25
SY 25-26
SY 24-25 Avg
-
SY 25-26 Avg
-
Year-over-Year
-
Tap anywhere to close
Most of the Decline Has a Simple Explanation
They didn't leave. They graduated.
Ten highly-engaged 5th graders aged into 6th grade - which is part of the PORVA Teens ministry, not Planet Kidz. These kids are still attending church; they're just being counted in a different program.
10
Promoted to Teens
All attended 80-95% of Sundays as 5th graders. Now in PORVA Teens - where attendance grew +8.6% YoY. Math checks out.
~9
Of the −8.2 Planet Kidz decline is just this transition
+8.6%
PORVA Teens growth - consistent with absorbing this cohort
? BOTTOM LINE
Once you account for program promotion, Planet Kidz is roughly flat year-over-year. The real story is in the cohort behavior on the next slide.
The 10 Kids · Now in PORVA Teens
Name
SY 24-25 P.Kidz
SY 25-26 P.Kidz
Now in
Rosalie Hall
94%
→ Teens
6th
Charles Rodgers
94%
→ Teens
6th
Jordan Rouch
94%
→ Teens
6th
Tanniah Darylene
91%
→ Teens
6th
Lucas Tarantino
91%
→ Teens
6th
Gabriel Robinson
91%
→ Teens
6th
Paul Holman
88%
→ Teens
6th
Olivia Patterson
81%
→ Teens
6th
Kiosha Sutherland
81%
→ Teens
6th
Chase Wills
81%
→ Teens
6th
Grade-Level Analysis · Tracking the Same Cohorts
Where the real cohort declines are.
Each pair tracks the same children one year older. The biggest visual gap (5th→6th) is just program promotion to Teens. The cohorts that need attention are Pre-K→K, 3rd→4th, and 2nd→3rd.
20.1
16.6
Pre-K → K
2024-25 → 2025-26
↓ −3.5
7.0
8.1
K → 1st
2024-25 → 2025-26
↑ +1.1
6.0
7.3
1st → 2nd
2024-25 → 2025-26
↑ +1.3
5.3
4.3
2nd → 3rd
2024-25 → 2025-26
↓ −1.0
6.7
4.8
3rd → 4th
2024-25 → 2025-26
↓ −1.9
6.0
6.3
4th → 5th
2024-25 → 2025-26
↑ +0.3
→ TO TEENS
11.0
0.5
5th → 6th
moved to Teens
✓ expected
8.0
8.4
Nursery
same age range
↑ +0.4
SY 24-25 (last year's grade)
SY 25-26 (this year's grade)
Cohort declined
March - May · Same Season, Two Years
Spring was healthier last year.
Same three months, 12 fewer kids per Sunday. Comparing Mar-May 2025 with Mar-May 2026 strips out seasonality and shows what really shifted. Tap any card for the monthly trajectory.
Total / Sunday
SP 25
75.9
→
SP 26
63.5
↓ −12.4 (−16%)
Members
SP 25
56.8
→
SP 26
50.3
↓ −6.5 (−11%)
Regular Attenders
SP 25
10.0
→
SP 26
8.4
↓ −1.6 (−16%)
Guests
SP 25
9.1
→
SP 26
4.8
↓ −4.3 (−47%)
158 → 127
31 fewer unique children walked through the door at least once during Spring 26 compared to Spring 25. This isn't lower per-Sunday attendance from the same kids - it's that fewer individual kids are showing up at all this spring.
Metric
Title
March, April, May · Both years overlaid
Spring 2025
Spring 2026
Spring 2025 Avg
-
Spring 2026 Avg
-
Year-over-Year
-
Tap anywhere to close
Next Steps · Three Places to Focus
Where to start.
Most of the overall decline is explained - kids correctly moved up to Teens. These are the three remaining things worth your attention, in order of priority.
1
Do First
Reactivate the guest pipeline.
−47%
Guest attendance
this spring vs. last
this spring vs. last
Spring 25 brought in 9.1 guests per Sunday (peaking at 12 in May). Spring 26 is averaging 4.8. Something was reaching new families last spring that isn't happening now.
What outreach, events, or invitations were happening March-May 2025 that aren't happening now?
2
Investigate
The Pre-K → Kindergarten transition.
−3.5
Per Sunday in this cohort
(same kids, one year older)
(same kids, one year older)
This is the biggest real cohort decline inside Planet Kidz. Last year's Pre-K kids are this year's Kindergartners - and they're showing up less often.
Is the Kindergarten experience meaningfully different from Pre-K? Different room, leaders, format, or expectations?
3
Protect
Take care of the committed core.
+4
Children attending
75%+ of Sundays
75%+ of Sundays
The committed core grew from 35 to 39 kids. These families are showing up more this year, not less. Don't let the decline narrative obscure the win.
Are we recognizing and pouring into our most consistent Planet Kidz families?