It’s been 15 years since the Iola school district saw an increase in enrollment.
With the official enrollment count last week, the district saw an increase of 15.5 students (virtual school students are counted at .5 per student).
The last time the district’s enrollment increased was in the 2007-2008 school year.
Superintendent Stacey Fager credited a robust preschool program for the increase. The new elementary school also may have played a role in keeping students in the district.
“By and large we can attribute that to getting the word out about the quality of our pre-K programs, and how we’ve been able to attract and keep students in elementary school,” Fager said.
A few years ago, the district transitioned to a program that partners with private preschools to provide the same curriculum to all students at no charge to families. The goal is to have 100% participation in preschool.
But some grade levels have fewer students compared to last year, which Fager said is partly attributed to high school students choosing to join a virtual education program. The Iola district is trying to keep those students with programs such as technical and vocational programs, credit recovery options and summer school.
Most of the district’s enrollment increase comes at the elementary level, and in kindergarten in particular.
Officially, the district recorded 108 kindergarten students, but that includes many 5-year-olds who are actually in preschool. The state allows them to be counted for funding purposes.
The actual count of kindergarten students is 94. That’s still the largest class in the district. This year, Iola Elementary School added a fifth teacher for both kindergarten and first grade, in order to keep the student/teacher ratio low.
The smallest class is second grade, which has 65 students. The next smallest is fifth grade, with 67 students.
After kindergarten, the next highest grade levels are fourth and eighth, both with 92 students. Tenth grade has 91 students.
See the chart for a breakdown on enrollment numbers.
A SUCCESSFUL golf fundraiser could help Iola Middle School make some improvements to the gymnasium.
Jason Coke, IMS assistant principal and athletic director, organized the golf tournament earlier this month. It raised about $5,000 in proceeds, to be split between the middle and high schools.
