I-SS enrollment exceeded state expectations

By: Chyna Broadnax | Mooresville Tribune
Published: October 14, 2009

Iredell-Statesville Schools has surpassed the state's student enrollment forecast for the district this year.

According to information provided by I-SS, the district enrolled 21,377 students in its 34 schools early this month, 460 students more than the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's yearly projection.

"We were expecting an increase because we had been getting kids from charter and private schools enrolling this summer," Associate Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Melanie Taylor said.

I-SS enrollment has increased by 203 students since last school year, when the district reported 21,174 students.

The enrollment increase comes as no surprise to I-SS administrators, who point to new choice available to district families.

Those options include two new schools, magnet programs and two International Baccalaureate Candidate Schools.

According to Taylor, students who attend the IB programs or Cloverleaf Elementary account for about half of the increase. The district also enrolled about 200 students from private schools, she said.
While overall enrollment has grown, there was a decline in the number of students in kindergarten.
The cut-off date for enrolling a 5-year-old entering kindergarten was changed this year from Oct. 16 to Aug. 31.

Typically, there are nearly 1,700 students in I-SS kindergarten classes, but that number has decreased to 1,300 students, according to Taylor.

"The increase in students coming in from outside the district has overshadowed the decrease in kids coming into kindergarten," Taylor said.

Prior to the economic slowdown, I-SS was growing at a pace of about 600 to 800 students a year.