Troy Enrollment Higher on First Day of School Compared to 2010

More students were enrolled in the first day of classes this year in the than the first day of school in 2010, district officials said at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

Richard Machesky, assistant superintendent of secondary education, said the most recent enrollment numbers, which reflect the number of students enrolled in class Tuesday, shows the total number of students at the district rose from 12,094 on the first day of school in 2010 to 12,385 this year.

Janet Keeling, assistant superintendent of elementary education joined Machesky on Tuesday in presenting enrollment figures to the board. Among the highlights were an additional 135 students at the elementary level and 52 at the middle school level, when compared to last year.

Keeling said the average class size rose from 23.76 students per teacher in 2010 to 24.17 students per teacher in 2011.

Board President Nancy Phillppart said she was pleasantly surprised by the increased figures, but wondered where the additional students were coming from as overall drops in population in the city have been anticipated.

While Keeling said the increased enrollment appears to have come from a mix of issues, she said much of the increased enrollment came within the past few days.

"Many (parents) thought schools were already closed and didn't realize they could come to the central office and register," Keeling said. "For those, it's not 100 percent clear if they are coming from private schools back to public schools, but a lot are moving into homes, not just into apartment complexes."