Enrollment flat in Hamilton County Schools

First-day enrollment in Hamilton County Schools held steady this year following a significant increase the year before.

On Wednesday, the first day of school, 38,922 students showed up to classes, down slightly from 38,938 the year before.

“It’s really kind of a wash,” said Danielle Clark, spokeswoman for the school district.

Enrollment numbers fluctuate greatly, records show, and by the 10th day of school last year, the district had added more than 2,000 students. Officials expect similar changes this year.

“People continue to enroll late. We have a lot of people who don’t register, who wait until the last minute to get a transfer,” Clark said. “We have kids who just don’t think school starts until September.”

By the 10th day of school, enrollment typically stabilizes, Clark said. At that point, the school district makes any staffing changes necessary.

As is typically the case, most of the district’s growth this year is in its elementary schools, where enrollment increased by 322 students. Middle and high schools lost a total of 155 and 183 students, respectively.

East Side Elementary, one of the district’s English-language learner campuses, added nearly 75 students this year over last, bringing its enrollment to 534 students. In a school designed for about 510 students, principal Emily Baker said enrollment usually is more than 600 by the end of each school year.

“You just never know (how many students you’ll get),” Baker said. “Our enrollment is pretty high for the first day, and they’re still coming through the door.”

A new trend Baker said she’s noticed is more students transferring to East Side from other schools.

Some schools, such as Orchard Knob and Dalewood middle schools, experienced a drop in enrollment of more than 100 students. Officials attribute the drop to parents transferring their students out of low-performing schools into their paired higher-performing schools.

School districts are required to provide such voluntary transfers as a provision of the No Child Left Behind law.