Enrollment in the Elmore County School System topped 11,000 at the end of the first week of school. On Friday, 11,007 students were registered to attend class in the system’s 14 schools. That number is 252 higher than at the same time last year.
“We see steady year-by-year growth, but this will be the first time in our history we surpassed 11,000,” said Dr. Jeff Langham, Elmore County Superintendent of Education. “It just reminds us of the challenges ahead.”
Three Wetumpka area schools reflected significant increases - Wetumpka Elementary recorded 70 additional students and Redland Elementary and Wetumpka Middle each had 60 more pupils. Wetumpka High reported a decrease of 37 from last year.
Other schools with marked increases were Stanhope Elmore, up 32; Holtville High, with a gain of 26; Millbrook Middle, up 23; and Holtville Middle, with an increase of 16. Eclectic Elementary’s enrollment rose by 10, Airport Road Intermediate’s by 6 and Holtville Elementary’s by 5.
Fewer students were registered at Eclectic Middle and Elmore County High - a decrease of 2 each; and Coosada Elementary - 15 less.
The system’s enrollment for the 2010-11 school year will not become official until the numbers from the 20th day after Labor Day are recorded. Those attendance figures are used by the Alabama Department of Education to determine the distribution of funds to school systems - a process based on student numbers.