Enrollment up in Middle Georgia's largest districts, down in smaller districts

Enrollment numbers are up for Middle Georgia’s largest school districts and down for the smallest, according to new figures from the state Department of Education.

Houston County showed the largest growth over the past year, as the district’s enrollment increased from 28,146 last fall to 28,530 this October, a change of 384 students, or about 1.4 percent.

“We’re growing at a healthy pace,” Superintendent Mark Scott said. “That’s about what we’ve averaged the last 10 years.”

Scott noted that the county’s kindergarten numbers were down slightly, but he described such cycles as “short-lived.”

He said the collaboration between the school system and other county officials was key to consistent growth.

“I think our community supports the public school system, for one,” Scott said, also pointing to thriving extracurricular activities as another draw. “People want to come and have their kids go to school in Houston County.”

Bibb County added 103 students to move to 24,457, and Jones County added 61 students to bring its total to 5,500.

Monroe County’s total didn’t change much, dropping six students to 4,010, and Peach County maintained an enrollment of 3,672.

Crawford and Twiggs counties both showed decreases, with Crawford losing 38 students, or 2.1 percent of its student population. Twiggs County’s enrollment went from 920 a year ago to 828 last month, a 10 percent decrease.

Among other benefits, enrollment growth helps a school system financially, said Tony Jones, Bibb County’s director of research, evaluation, assessment and accountability. With districts receiving funding directly based on the number of students, each additional child in a classroom helps.

“That has a very significant impact for us,” Jones said.

He also said that Superintendent Curtis Jones, who took the post in April, had made enrollment figures a focus of his meetings with staffers. That “common goal,” along with the stability of a permanent superintendent after two years of interim leaders, should continue to boost numbers, in Tony Jones’ estimation.

“We look at attendance and enrollment numbers every week,” he said. “I think that, in and of itself, speaks volumes.”

The presence of two charter schools may have also played a factor in the growth of Bibb County’s enrollment numbers, with some families electing to bring their children from private schools to Macon Charter Academy or the Academy for Classical Education.

MCA reported an enrollment of 680 students in its first year, while ACE enrolled 1,130 students in its second. Even without the 75 students in ACE’s first ninth-grade class, the school’s enrollment in kindergarten through eighth grade is 1,055, which is 39 percent larger than last year’s count of 759.

“We’re pretty full at the inn,” said Laura Perkins, the school’s founder and principal.

The second phase of construction on the school’s main building has already opened, and plans are being finalized for a third phase, Perkins said. She credited a 95 percent satisfaction rate on parent surveys for this year’s growth, which was in line with projections and still leaves more than 1,000 students on a waiting list.

“So I think they tell people, and people want to be a part of it,” she said.

To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitter @MTJTimm.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Enrollment up in Middle Georgia's largest districts, down in smaller districts ."