15. At the beginning of the school year, Anderson Middle School had 480 students. At the end of the year, it had 504 students. What is the percent of change in the enrollment?

To find the percent of change in enrollment at Anderson Middle School, you can use the formula: \[\text{Percent of Change} = \left(\frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}}{\text{Old Value}}\right) \times 100\] Here, the Old Value is 480 and the New Value is 504. Plugging in the values: \[\text{Percent of Change} = \left(\frac{504 - 480}{480}\right) \times 100 = \left(\frac{24}{480}\right) \times 100 = 5\%\] So, the percent of enrollment change is 5%! This method of calculating percent change can be seen in various real-world situations, like tracking business sales, population growth, or even when evaluating your own personal goals. Just remember that it's all about how the numbers shift over time! This math trick helps us make sense of changes in everything from school budgets to stock prices. Additionally, always be aware of common mistakes! A frequent error is forgetting to divide by the old value, which skews your percent change calculation. Also, double-check your subtraction to ensure you're working with accurate figures. Mistakes happen, but learning from them is what makes you better!