CV District Numbers Up; Ev,Wv Enrolments Down

FROM VALLEY VOICE (Thursday, September 25, 1997): Correction West Valley School District’s enrollment has risen by about 100 students since a year ago. A story in Saturday’s edition indicated otherwise.

Enrollment in Central Valley School District climbed this fall, while student numbers in East Valley and West Valley schools dipped slightly.

Central Valley’s enrollment during the first week of school was 10,784 and has since climbed to 10,850. Last September, 10,748 students enrolled in CV schools.

East Valley enrollment stands at 4,526 students, down about 100 students from last September. West Valley enrolled 2,686 full-time equivalent students, down almost 100 from last fall. Freeman schools have enrolled 875 students.

With new classrooms in various buildings around the district, East Valley is busing just five overflow students. The new Continuous Curriculum School has enrolled 123 students.

In West Valley, an estimated 20 students are bused from their neighborhood school to a school with room. That figure is much the same as last year, even though four West Valley schools have new classrooms. West Valley’s Joe Dawson, head of transportation, explained that parents whose students are moved to another school one year may choose to keep their students in that school through fourth grade.

There are bumps in the enrollment patterns, which educators are used to seeing.

Kindergartners in Central Valley, for instance, enrolled over the summer in droves - 300, to be precise. A more usual number for summer enrollment would be 75, said Carol Peterson, director of elementary education. That led to the last minute creation of extra kindergarten sections at Adams and Progress elementary schools.

The first-grade numbers in West Valley district, on the other hand, are low. Last year’s kindergarten numbers were lower than usual there, too.

One change at East Valley is due to a new policy. The number of seniors at East Valley High School is 50 students lower than the number of juniors enrolled last spring. That is because students now must earn at least 16 credits to become a senior at East Valley. Senior class counselor Melinda Seymour said those students are scrambling to become reinstated as seniors. That would boost the senior class from 265 to 314, Seymour said.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: By the numbers Here are current enrollments for the Valley’s high schools: East Valley High School: 1,549 Central Valley High School: 1,270 University High School: 1,237 West Valley High School: 872 Contract Based Education: 519 Freeman High School: 310 Spokane Valley High School: 164 (These numbers do not include all alternative programs.)