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FFSD enrollment increased
Published 11:00am Tuesday, September 11, 2012Led by a large kindergarten class, enrollment is up at Fergus Falls Public Schools this fall.
Around this time last year, 2,416 students were enrolled in the school’s various grades and in online program iQ Academy. This year, there are 2,543 enrolled students.
“There (are) probably two key reasons for that,” said school Superintendent Jerry Ness at Monday’s school board meeting.
The first reason is the supplementary enrollment at iQ Academy, which currently sits at 271. Students from all over the state can enroll in the program.
The second reason is the huge kindergarten class, which is sitting at 191 students.
“Wow, that’s a big big class, especially when the next biggest class is 158, so we’re hoping that is the new norm,” said Ness.
When looking at enrollment, Ness said it’s informative to refer to enrollment predictions made by educational consultants Roger and Kay Worner when they conducted an organizational analysis for the school district in the middle of the last decade. He’s happy enrollment is above the prediction.
“Our total enrollment should be 2,121, and so we’re 422 above that pace,” Ness said. “Obviously a big group is in the iQ Academy (created in 2008), but we’re still 151 students higher than we anticipated we would be according to that trend.”
He noted that iQ Academy enrollment should only increase as the school year rolls on.
“The good thing here is this will be the low point of the year (for enrollment),” he said.
