Oxford Community Schools received some good news after getting the results from Count Day, which took place Wednesday, Sept. 30.
They found that they had increased enrollment by 210 students district wide, bring the total number of students to 4,595, up from 4,385 last year.
‘We are very pleased to see the enrollment go up,? said Superintendent Dr. William Skilling. ‘That’s going to help us offset expenditure growth and offset the cuts that are looming in Lansing to education right now. It enables us to keep going forward with our programs and initiatives without having to make cuts.?
Out of the 210 new students, 172 were Schools of Choice students, bringing the grand total to 316 Schools of Choice students districtwide.
Deputy Superintendent Nancy Kammer said in an email that the number may fluctuate slightly when the final audited figures are determined because students who had excused absenses on count day have 30 days to return. The finalized figures won’t be available until the end of October. However, the number should be very close to the accurate number.
According to Skilling, when parents shared with him some of the reasons they’re moving their children to Oxford, the fact that the district is not cutting programs and places an emphasis on competing in the global economy topped the list.
Other reasons included students not being charged to play sports or attend preforming arts and athletic events.
‘Because of the improvements and new opportunities we created for kids, and that we are promoting our district that has raised the interest of a lot of families, both those who are school of choice and those who are moving here. So our numbers have grown because of that,? said Skilling.
The biggest area that saw an increase in students was in the kindergarten class which has 409 students, up 107 from last year’s 302.
Surprisingly, the biggest decrease in enrollment was in the first grade classrooms. They were down 53 students, from 367 last year to 314 this year.
The class of 2012 saw 56 new students begin to walk the hallways of the high school, while the sixth grade lost 31 students and seventh grade lost 21 students.