JACKSON SCHOOL ENROLLMENT UP AGAIN, TOPS CAPE'S BY 421 STUDENTS

Jackson School District has a record enrollment for the fifth straight year.

Based upon official enrollment counts taken Wednesday, Jackson's enrollment has grown nearly 3.5 percent to 4,484 students this year.

All Missouri schools are required to submit enrollment figures to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on the last Wednesday in September and in January. The figures, called benchmark membership counts, are used to calculate funding they get from a number of state programs.

For the second time, Jackson recorded a higher enrollment than that of the Cape Girardeau School District. Last year Jackson's enrollment of 4,335 students exceeded Cape Girardeau's by 108 students.

The distance was even greater this year, with Cape Girardeau's enrollment dropping 4 percent to 4,063 students. The enrollment decline means Cape Girardeau has 421 fewer students than does Jackson.

"We've been maintaining an increase of between 3 and 5 percent every year," said Jackson associate superintendent Fred Jones. "After a few years of that it starts to really add up."

Enrollment varied for other school districts in the area. No information was available for Delta School District.

Scott City School District's enrollment declined by two to 1,016 students. Nell Holcomb, which had a 5 percent increase in students last year, also had a slight drop from 325 to 320 students this year. Superintendent David Fuemmeler said a small sixth-grade class probably accounts for the dip in enrollment.

"We have a fairly small sixth-grade class with 23 or 24 students," he said. "Most of our other classes average 34 to 35 students."

Oak Ridge Superintendent Cheri Fuemmeler reported an enrollment of 377 students, up 31 from last fall. The district has seen its enrollment increase 16 percent in the past two years.

This marks the first year the district has needed extra sections of a class. First, second and sixth grades have had to be divided to keep classes small, Fuemmeler said.

"Right now we're out of space," she said. "It's a real positive move, but it also creates some tight situations."

Fuemmeler said young families moving into the district are the reason for the growth.

"Previously there had really not been much land out here, but now young families are staying and building on family farms," she said.

COUNTING THE KIDS

Benchmark is an enrollment count taken twice annually and reported to the state.

The September 1999 benchmarks for area districts:

Jackson:

Total elementary, 2,351

Total secondary, 2,133

This year's total, 4,484 (Fifth year for gain)

Total one year ago, 4,335

Oak Ridge:

Total elementary, 205

Total secondary, 172

This year's total, 377

Total one year ago, 346

Cape Girardeau:

Sept. 1999

Total elementary, 2,116

Total secondary, 1,947

This year's total, 4,063

Sept. 1998

Total elementary, 2,215

Total secondary, 2,012

Last year's total, 4,227

Scott City:

Total elementary, 540

Total secondary, 476

This year's total, 1,016

Total year ago, 1,018

Nell Holcomb

Total K-8, 320