School numbers reported after first week
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 27, 2015 1:46 PM
Enrollment numbers in Wayne County Public Schools were down for the first day of school, officials announced Tuesday.
Students in 31 schools on the traditional calendar returned to class on Monday, the number reflecting the district's two brand new middle schools, which opened in the Grantham and Spring Creek communities.
Two schools operating on non-traditional calendars -- Wayne School of Engineering and Wayne Early/Middle High -- had already resumed classes earlier in the month.
First-day enrollment at the 33 schools was 17,585, compared to 17,756 the previous year. Over the next nine days of school in 2014, however, the numbers swelled to 19,084 students, a trend that is expected to happen again this year.
Outside of the typical transportation issues that occur on the initial days of school, between traffic congestion of car riders during drop-off and pickup as well as bus drivers learning new routes, officials reported a smooth opening day.
School districts around the state closely monitor attendance over the first 10 days, a marker used by the state to determine funding.
When comparing this year to last, the biggest drop in enrollment occurred at Spring Creek Elementary, which had 941 on Day One last year and 797 when students returned this week, or a difference of 144.
By contrast, Spring Creek High School, which was 6-12th grade last year and had 949 students on the first day, was divided between the 9-12th grade school (with 585 students) and the newly added Spring Creek Middle (595) for a total of 1,181.
The addition of the other school, Grantham Middle, prompting its feeder school to be renamed Grantham Elementary, was also up. The school had 823 on its first day in 2014. This year, 449 turned up at the elementary school and 381 at the middle school, for a total of 830.
Northeast Elementary School had an 80-student drop, from 806 to 726.
North Drive Elementary had 446 on the first day in 2014, with 381 showing up this year.
Tommy's Road Elementary also had a decline of 45, from 600 to 555.
Two middle schools in the southern end of the county, Brogden Middle and Mount Olive middle schools each dipped 37. Brogden Middle's enrollment went from 496 to 458, while Mount Olive's comparison was 436 to 399.
At the district's largest high school, Charles B. Aycock, there was only a difference of one student -- from 1,214 last year to 1,213.
Increases were felt by four high schools.
Goldsboro High School's numbers were up by 31, from 447 to 478.
Rosewood High is up 29, from 462 to 491.
Southern Wayne High was up 19, from 1,010 to 1,029, with Eastern Wayne High up 69, from 983 to 996.