Ten-day count is in for schools
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 10, 2014 1:46 PM
Enrollment is down in Wayne County public schools, as the official 10th day of classes has been completed at all 31 schools.
The 10th day for schools on the traditional schedule was Monday. Two schools, Wayne Early/Middle College High School and Wayne School of Engineering, resumed classes earlier in August.
Student numbers this year have dropped by 271, as compared to last year.
The official enrollment for Day 10 was 19,084. In the fall of 2013, it was 19,355. The year before that, it was 19,240.
The 10-day numbers are a benchmark used by the state to assess funding needs and teacher assignments. They are also used by the transportation department to determine changes to bus routes.
Each fall, the school district monitors enrollment over the first 10 days. They have traditionally exceeded 19,000 students.
From the first day of classes, Aug. 25, student numbers for the district have been lower than the two previous years.
This year 17,756 students showed up on the first day. In 2013, there were 17,864. In 2012, it was 18,347.
Despite that, two high schools experienced higher enrollments for the current school year.
Charles A. Aycock and Southern Wayne high schools both had increases. CBA's student numbers rose from 1,205 last year to 1,272 for the 10th day. Southern Wayne had 1,034 students last year and its enrollment has climbed to 1,117.
Dillard Middle, Greenwood Middle, Northwest Elementary and Wayne Academy have felt the biggest drop in numbers from last year to this.
Dillard had 649 students by this time last year and currently has 566; Greenwood has gone from 545 to 474; Northwest from 884 to 798; and Wayne Academy went from 108 to 45.
While some students opt to attend Wayne Academy, it is also populated by students who are assigned there for disciplinary and other reasons.
Now that the district has reached the 10th day, officials will be taking a closer look at the enrollment data to determine whether any allotment changes are required for teacher placement, said Dr. Steven Taylor, schools superintendent.
"For the next few days we'll be making the adjustments," he told the school board Monday night. "So if you hear any complaints from parents, we're working on it."