Highest enrollment in 13 years
Paton-Churdan started the school year with 222 students which, according to principal Annie Smith, is the highest enrollment in the district in 13 years. Enrollment has grown by 19 students this year, requiring the school to borrow desks from nearby Glidden-Ralston. “Kid-wise, we’re busting at the seams,” Smith told the P-C school board at its regular meeting Sept. 10. “When you talk about our average class size, we’re one class larger than we were last year.”
The total includes 27 students new to the district. There are 53 students, about 24 percent of the total student population, open enrolled into the district. “That’s a pretty great number to celebrate,” Smith said.
“That just proves that you guys have done a great job really helping the teachers. Everybody has their eye on the prize when it comes to success for kids,” she said.
There are 195 students in grades K-12 – 93 elementary (plus 11 from last year), 45 middle school (plus two), and 57 high school (plus six).
As library director Shari Minnehan scanned the student body at the assembly opening the Remembering Our Fallen exhibit last week, she said, “It’s nice to see so many students in the grades.” Students in grades 4-12 were at the assembly.
