Well well well this looks fun!
The first thing to notice is the term "rate of change" A.K.A. slope. Slope is all it is asking for in the problem.
Taking the function f(x)= 11(1.35)X you know "11(1.35)" is the slope because it is attached to X.
11*1.35=14.85 Round to 15.
In context, this means the first year there were roughly 15 students, the second year 30 students, to 75 students the fifth year.
Hope that helped! :)