Schools
Melrose School Enrollment Continues To Balloon
As of Oct. 1, Melrose Public Schools had 234 more students than it did in the 2014-15 school year.
MELROSE, MA — The school district's student enrollment was at 3,945 as of Oct. 1, continuing an unyielding increase that the city is scrambling to keep up with. Melrose Public Schools is home to 234 more students than the 2014-15 school year, according to data provided by Melrose Superintendent Cyndy Taymore in a memo to the School Committee.
Every school but the Roosevelt and Horace Mann saw an increase over last year's numbers. The high school has 1,014 students - 81 more than the 2014-15 school year.
The kindergarten enrollment dipped from a late-August count of 336, settling at 321 - the same number as last year.
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This year there will be 16 kindergarten classes, 15 classes in grades 1, 2 and 3, and 13 classes at grades 4 and 5.
"If we need 15 or more Kindergartens next year, we will need to add grade 4 teachers, as well as increase FTEs for specialty teachers and support staff," Taymore said in the memo.
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The following numbers represent the enrollment for each school as of Oct. 1. The first number is the enrollment for 2014-15, and the second number is this year's enrollment:
- Franklin School 313 - 319
- Hoover School 252 - 290
- Horace Mann School 260 - 277
- Lincoln School 366 - 429
- Roosevelt School 389 - 419
- Winthrop School 341 - 411
- Melrose Veterans Memorial MS 857 - 786
- Melrose High School 933 - 1014
The district has also had to add a half-position for ESL after an increase from 168 English Language Learner students from last year to 182 this year. More than 500 students' first language is not English.
"We anticipate that this will be a continuing need that must be addressed as English as a Second Language instruction is both a federal and state mandate," Taymore said.
The enrollment is scheduled to be among items discussed at this Tuesday's School Committee meeting at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
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