The Garden City Telegram
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Student populations up
Published 9/22/2009 in Local News : Education
By MONICA SPRINGER
Some schools in southwest Kansas are seeing an increase in enrollment this year, area school district officials said, citing the preliminary numbers from a count of students taken Monday.
School district officials said they can't be sure of the reason for the increase, but population increases could be a reason, along with migrant families moving back to southwest Kansas to find work.
In Garden City USD 457, the district is seeing a 3 percent enrollment increase, or 223 more students, this year compared to last year, according to a count taken on Monday.
Roy Cessna, public information coordinator for USD 457, said the district has 7,441 students this year compared to 7,218 students on Sept. 22, 2008. More detailed school-by-school numbers weren't available this morning.
Cessna said a reason for the increase likely is due to Garden City's population increase.
In last week's State of the City address, Garden City Mayor Nancy Harness said Garden City's population is at 29,095, up from 27,175 last year.
Some smaller school districts in southwest Kansas also have seen increases in enrollment this year.
Hugoton USD 210 counted 1,086 students enrolled compared to 1,020 enrolled last year, about a 6 percent increase. The school district had been expecting an increase, but has about 20 more students than expected, Superintendent Mark Crawford said.
The bulk of the increase — 44 students — is in grades preschool through sixth grade. There are 624 students in preschool through sixth grade in Hugoton, 152 in middle school and 290 at Hugoton High School.
Crawford said he can't be sure why the district saw an increase in students, but said one reason might be that migrant families are moving back to Hugoton to find work.
"The downturn in the economy has brought some families back to Hugoton," Crawford said.
Syracuse is seeing a similar situation. USD 494 is up about 15 students from last year, about a 2 percent increase, Superintendent Joan Friend said. Friend said she attributes the increase in enrollment to families moving into Syracuse to take jobs in feedlots or dairies.
There are 316 students in the 3- and 4-year-old at risk program through sixth grade. The junior and senior high school, which houses grades seventh through 12th grade, has the same enrollment numbers as last year at 206 students, Friend said.
In Ulysses USD 214, enrollment is up about 13 students from last year, said Bill Hall, superintendent. The increase is slight, at less than 1 percent.
Hall said the district has 1,688 students, including 520 in Hickock Elementary School, 372 in Sullivan Elementary School, 370 at Kepley Middle School and 399 at Ulysses High School. The Ulysses Career Learning Academy, a charter school, has 27 students.
Hall said he thinks some families with children who left the school district last year returned this year, and that the increase isn't due to new people moving into the community.
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