City schools’ enrollment drop shows signs of slowing

The enrollment drop in the Lynchburg City Schools may have slowed for now.

This year’s enrollment figures show an increase of five students, a departure from the drops in enrollment seen in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. The numbers, compiled by school staff, reflect enrollment as of Sept. 30 of each year.

“I would like to think it’s because we are a wonderful school system, and so people came,” said Superintendent Paul McKendrick, laughing. More specifically, McKendrick cited new housing developments, the economic downturn, and the draw of unique Lynchburg City Schools programs.

At Tuesday’s joint school board and city council meeting McKendrick shared projections that Lynchburg high school enrollment would decline by almost 350 students through 2014, while elementary school enrollment would increase by 288 students. McKendrick said he wasn’t sure what reasons might be behind the projected decreases at the high school level and increases at the elementary school level. He shared the figures as a way of demonstrating that the system should not look at closing any of the elementary schools.

As far as the 2009-2010 figures, one of the biggest increases came at Heritage Elementary School, which gained 52 students this year and 123 students over the past four years.

Principal Sharon Anderson said the school hired a new kindergarten teacher the first week of school in order to deal with a dramatic spike in the number of young students.

“We have to wait until the students are physically in the building to act,” Anderson said. “Sure enough all of our babies came.” Heritage Elementary is in a part of the city that has seen growth in recent years including in the Cornerstone housing development.

Another school to gain students was R.S. Payne Elementary, which picked up some students who were given the option to transfer from Perrymont Elementary under the No Child Left Behind’s school choice provision.

R.S. Payne Principal John Blakely said the school is well equipped physically to handle more students, because R.S. Payne is housed in a former high school.

“They just come right in, but it has not affected our school,” Blakely said, though he added that the school has been assigned an additional teacher this year.