Western Greene County schools see increase in enrollment numbers

The 2019-20 school year has started, and as kids settle in to their class routines, enrollment numbers are coming in. In Willard, Ash Grove and Republic, each district saw a comparable increase, percentage-wise, in enrollment over last year.
In the Ash Grove R-IV District, Dr. Aaron Gerla, superintendent of schools, reported this year’s attendance is 719 students overall, an increase of 14 students from last year’s total enrollment of 705, or an increase of about two percent. Gerla said attendance at Ash Grove has remained steady since he came into the district.
Willard R-II also saw an increase in their student population. This year’s enrollment is 4,566, an increase of 151 over last year’s enrollment of 4,415, or an increase of almost three-and-a-half percent.
Whitney Burrell, director of communications for the Willard District, said the district anticipates a more substantial increase in future enrollment due to the district’s pre-school program.
“What these numbers don’t show is that we are now serving 98 pre-kindergartners in our district,” she said, “approximately 20 in each elementary school building, and we do expect to see a rise in enrollment as we continue to grow that Pre-K program.”
At Republic R-3, Josey McPhail, communications director, citing data provided by Dr. Chance Wistrom, superintendent of schools, said total enrollment in the district this year is 5,099 students, an increase of about 126 students from last year’s enrollment of 4,973, or an increase of two-and-a-half-percent.
McPhail said this year’s increase in enrollment is the largest the district has seen in eight years.
“The increase in enrollment is attributed to the increase in construction in the city of Republic and city of Battlefield,” she said. “Additionally, the Republic School District is considered a preferred district for families to send their children.”
While the increase in attendance was not anticipated, McPhail said the district is well-able to handle it.
“The growth in our community was not predicted in the 2016 demographic study contracted by the Republic School District and city of Republic,” she said. “However, the district still has available classrooms for expansion and small class sizes to absorb additional students.”
McPhail also said the district is looking into ways to accommodate even more students.
“The district is investigating the construction of a new Early Childhood Center to accommodate the current waiting list and open up elementary classrooms that are currently being utilized for preschool classes,” she said. “This will provide additional preschool services for district children and free up four elementary classrooms. In addition to the Early Childhood Center, the district is investigating the construction of a gymnasium at Schofield Elementary. This will provide an area for indoor physical education in each of the district elementary schools. The school district was proactive in re-establishing elementary boundaries for the 2019-20 school year. Boundaries were modified to distribute the increased in enrollment as a result of concentrated growth in areas of our district.”