Summer school enrollment jumps at Lynchburg schools

An administrative decision by Campbell County education officials last year to cancel high school summer school may be boosting summer school enrollment in Lynchburg.

Campbell County administrators decided in fall 2007 not to offer high school summer courses because of decreasing enrollment and ample opportunity within students’ schedules to pass required courses.

With summer school now in full swing, Lynchburg City Schools report higher enrollment in high school courses.

Al Coleman, director of secondary education, said in 2007 the division had 290 high school summer school students; 15 were not from city schools. This year there are 335 students; 62 are from outside the division.

“I’m sure that Campbell County not having summer school is a piece of that,” Coleman said.

Of the 62 out-of-city students enrolled this year, Coleman could not specify how many are from Campbell County. That number, he said, could be comprised of students from the counties as well as from private schools in the city.

High school summer school in Lynchburg is only offered for students who need to repeat a course because they failed, and only core subjects are offered.

Coleman said the increased enrollment has not been a hardship for the division. He said tuition pays for summer school, where teachers are paid by the hour and are not salaried.

According to the division’s Web site, high school summer courses are $150 per semester class for non-city residents and $75 per semester class for city residents.

He said the course taken most frequently is English 9.

High school summer school is offered in two sessions and held at Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation. The first session started June 25 and ends Friday. The second session begins Monday and ends July 28.

High school summer courses also are offered in Bedford County, where officials were surprised to see a decline in enrollment from last year.

“We thought we would have a lot from Campbell County, but we don’t. We didn’t have big growth in that area,” said Brenda Goff, student services specialist.

Goff said Bedford has 193 students in high school summer school, compared to 213 last year. Of this year’s students, seven are from Campbell County, she said.

Bedford summer school started June 18 and will end July 31. Students can repeat subjects or take courses for the first time.

John Erb, Campbell County assistant superintendent for instruction, said the division has not received any comments from parents about the change.

“Some of our students attended Lynchburg summer school and some took courses online,” he said.

Erb said in 2007 the county probably had about 130 to 135 students enrolled in high school summer school. He said at this point there are no plans to reinstate summer school next year in Campbell County high schools.

enrollment comparison

- Lynchburg:
2007 high school summer school enrollment: 290,
15 from outside the division
2008 high school summer school enrollment: 335,
62 from outside the division
- Bedford:
2007 high school summer school enrollment: 213,
number from outside division unavailable
2008 high school summer school enrollment: 193,
15 from outside the division