School enrollment up slightly from last year

By Lynn Hotaling

With the advent of the Comprehensive School of Alternatives, enrollment at all elementary schools is down this year. High school numbers are up, 997 this year as compared to 973 last year, at Smoky Mountain High in Sylva, and down at Blue Ridge High near Cashiers, where enrollment has declined by 29 students, from 102 to 73.

"We've seen a little slow growth," said Superintendent Frank Burrell. "We've had a good start to school this year. Students are working hard."

The superintendent also said he's seeing more high school students riding buses this year, a circumstance he attributes to changes in the requirements for obtaining a driver's license.

School-by-school enrollments after 10 days, compared with corresponding figures from a year ago, are Blue Ridge, 255 in K-12, down 19 from 274 last year; Cullowhee Valley (K-8), 596, down nine from 605 last year; Fairview (K-8), 759, down three from last year's 762; Scotts Creek (K-8), 439, down seven from 446 last year; Smokey Mountain Elementary (K-8), 468, down 16 from last year's 452; Smoky Mountain High (9-12), 997, up 24 from last year's 973; and Comprehensive School, which opened in the middle of the last school year, 43.

Burrell said he anticipates that the Comprehensive School's enrollment will reach 100 in the near future. Membership of several special classes will be transferred to that program, he said.

Back to Archive: 08/31/00.