USD 234 enrollment numbers up slightly from last year

The USD 234 school district has seen a 25 student increase in the 2008-09 school year's total head count. In the district's full-time equivalency enrollment count, there was an increase of about 34 students.

According to information provided by the district, both Winfield Scott Elementary and Fort Scott Middle school have experienced a surge in students this year. FSMS enrollment is 36 students higher than last year's, and Winfield Scott has acquired 22 additional students.

The district's growth cannot be attributed to any one factor, according to USD 234 Superintendent Rick Werling. Werling said that he is not sure if the increase is a result of recent high student achievement on testing, or some of the quality programs the schools offer.

Whatever the reason, Werling said, the district works diligently to offer its students excellence in all areas of academics. In addition, the students in the local district have access to superior non-academic programs in the areas of art, band, orchestra, choir, debate and forensics. The schools also have strong athletic programs, Werling said.

"We try to have the best schools we can have, so people will want to come," Werling said. "We are very proud of the programs we offer our children."

A decline in enrollment at both the high school, which is down 30 students, and Eugene Ware, which is down three students, is not a concern to the district, Werling said. As students move through the school system grade by grade, the numbers fluctuate.

For instance, last year's eighth-grade class was small compared to the average class size. Since this year's middle school classes are larger in number, the school's overall count went up. The high school, however, saw a drop in numbers as it absorbed last year's small eighth-grade class, Werling said.

Knowing last year's eighth-grade class was small compared to other grades, FSMS Principal Barbara Albright said she was not surprised with the increase in students.

"Actually, we had planned all along for the increased enrollment," Albright said. "The class we sent to the high school this year (last year's eighth-grade class) has always been small with about 125 students. The incoming group of sixth-grade students has 151 students. Therefore, our increase was anticipated."

According to the Kansas Association of School Boards, www.kasb.org, there are 470,264 students enrolled in Kansas schools this year; an increase from previous years. From the 2002-03 school year to the 2006-07 school year, the student enrollment in the state of Kansas had dropped by more than 2,000 students.

Last year, enrollment numbers in the state of Kansas exceeded the previous year's count by more than 5,000 students. Although this year's enrollment numbers have declined slightly from last year's numbers, KASB anticipates the enrollment numbers to steadily climb to a predicted 479,180 students enrolled in the state by the 2012-13 school year, the KASB Web site said.