A number of Te Puke school rolls have dropped as orchard workers struggle to find work in the Psa-afflicted area.
Fairhaven School and Rangiuru School said their rolls had dropped in the past year because of the effect Psa had had on kiwifruit orchards.
Fairhaven principal Paul Hunt said in March 2012, his roll was sitting at 388 but had dropped to 361 in March this year - a loss of 27 students. He thought a part of the roll drop was due to Psa.
Rangiuru School principal Tom Paekau said his school had noticed a 5-10 per cent drop in their roll, but that also meant class sizes were smaller which benefited the children.
Te Puke Intermediate principal Jill Weldon said when Psa first struck, they had noticed a difference in their roll.
