112910 Wooster City Schools enrollment up

  • By Sharon Haught
  • November 18, 2010
  • 259
                        
For the 2010-2011 academic year, enrollment is up in the Wooster City School District. That was the word the Wooster City School District Board of Education received from Assistant Superintendent Richard Goodright during its October 26 meeting. For 2009 the district’s total enrollment was 3845 students. Currently there are 3893 students enrolled in the district, 48 more than there were a year ago when district enrollment increased by 10 students over 2008 figures. Each of the district’s secondary buildings are up. Edgewood posted a gain of 34 students taking its current enrollment to 593 students. Wooster High School added two students giving the high school a total of 1227 students for the 2010-2011 school year. Goodright noted that Boy’s Village is up by 10 students, but that number varies by plus or minus 10 students at any given point in the year. “Another real consistent piece for us is the Wayne County Schools Career Center where we currently have enrolled 157 students,” said Goodright adding “last year at the end of the year we had about 150 enrolled and my guess is that pattern will repeat again.” “Secondary (schools) wise I believe that we feel as if we’re pretty consistent,” said Goodright noting that there are still plenty of openings in the secondary schools for open enrollment. Where things get a bit tighter is in the elementary grades. Last year elementary school enrollment topped out at 1889. The number this year increased by 40 to 1929. While there are six classes with 40 or fewer students peppered throughout the district, nine have 50 or more. Of those nine classes, five are at Melrose elementary, which also has the largest number of students of any elementary school in Wooster at 373. With one exception, enrollment is up at all of the district’s elementary schools. Kean is up 12 students to 323 while Lincoln Way is up nine students to 288. Parkview’s enrollment increased by five students to 308 while Wayne’s increased by two students to 317. The only elementary school where enrollment fell was Cornerstone, which went from 339 last year to 320 this year, primarily because the additional kindergarten classes added at Cornerstone last year weren’t placed there this school year. One school saw a substantial increase. A bubble in the Melrose area saw 69 kindergarteners enroll at Melrose, which according to Goodright prompted the district to move a mobile structure onto the Melrose property to house the extra kindergarten students. Goodright noted that the not only the kindergarten but also the first, second, third and fourth grade classes at Melrose are “pretty full.” “At this time we consider Melrose Elementary as being closed,” said Goodright noting that if someone asks to enroll at Melrose they will be asked to enroll in another school that can offer smaller class sizes. With little extra space Goodright noted that the district will be looking at creative ways to help alleviate the space constraints at Melrose. The district will also be keeping a watchful eye on new construction in the area. “There is a new development in the Melrose boundaries that concerns us a little bit” said Superintendent Michael Tefs. “The infrastructure (is)…being put in right now so we know that potentially we have a big development there that would be in the Melrose boundaries,” said Tefs. “We’re just going to have to watch for those as building permits take place with the city,” said Tefs adding “it’s a fun problem to have considering a year ago we had no building permits so it’s good to see the economy is turning around.”


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