Enrollment growth continues in Eudora
Monday, Sept. 22, 2008
For the 18th straight year, enrollment in Eudora Schools has increased. Head counts on Sept. 22, the state's official census day, reflect 1,492.4 students in all grades. The final audited head count for 2007-08 was 1,433.
Building head count enrollments were recorded as follows: Nottingham Elementary, 414 students; West Elementary, 334.4; Eudora Middle School, 301; Eudora High School, 416. The Eudora Community Center recorded a head count of 27. Decimal figures in head count can occur when a home school student attends a district school for part of the day to participate in selected courses.
The full-time equivalent for this year was recorded at 1,397.1. FTE is tied to the state's funding formulas and often differs from the head count because of the way certain factors, ranging from hours of attendance to special education, are figured. For example, a kindergarten student counts as one in head count but only .5 for FTE, since the state does not yet fund all-day kindergarten.
These preliminary counts do not yet include out-of-district students taking courses in the Eudora-De Soto Technical Education Center. In addition, the Kansas State Department of Education will audit these numbers in the fall before announcing the final official count.
"The growth that we are seeing this year confirms the estimates we have been working with for budgets and facilities planning," said Superintendent of Schools Don Grosdidier. "And the increasing numbers at the elementary level further illustrate our need for the new elementary facilities currently under construction."
An unexpectedly high number of kindergarten students who arrived on the first day of school required the Eudora Board of Education to add an eighth section of kindergarten in late August. Circumstances like these underline the need for the new elementary school in northeast Eudora for grades 1-5 and new early learning center that will open after renovations at West. Both facilities are scheduled to be open to students next fall.
"Steady growth definitely requires us to be innovative and flexible when it comes to maintaining individualized instruction and adequate learning space for all students," Grosdidier said, "but it also demonstrates the reputation that our district has among parents and families seeking a high-quality education for their children. Our district's greatest strength lies in our outstanding teachers and staff and the support we receive from our community."
Both the elementary and early childhood education facilities are designed to accommodate as many as 200 students per grade in a flexible teaching and learning environment. Next fall also will mark the completion of construction at Eudora Middle School that will add a permanent sixth grade pod of classrooms and an expanded commons area. To learn more about all of the bond projects taking place in Eudora in the next two years, click here.
