ROGERS — Enrollment for Rogers schools grew by the second-smallest amount in the past decade, but administrators said the additional students still required class sections and additional bus routes.
And although growth has slowed since its peak in 2003, David Cauldwell, the district’s business administrator, said a new elementary school that’s in the works will still be useful by the time it opens in 2013.
THE BIG FOUR
School Enrollment
Every year, schools record their Oct. 1 enrollment to compare with previous years. Because Oct. 1 fell on a Saturday this year, they’re using Oct. 3 enrollment.
Springdale: 19,375
Rogers: 14,148
Bentonville: 14,108
Fayetteville: 9,028
Source: Staff Report
By The Numbers
Rogers Students
Rogers Oct. 1 enrollment, percent change from previous year
2002: 3.98 percent
2003: 4.13 percent
2004: 3.37 percent
2005: 2.19 percent
2006: 1.51 percent
2007: 1.49 percent
2008: 1.22 percent
2009: 0.91 percent
2010: 1.61 percent
2011: 1 percent
Source: Staff Report
“The need is going to be there,” Cauldwell said. “It’s essentially there now.”
Oct. 1 enrollment numbers — actually Oct. 3 this year, because Oct. 1 was a Saturday — are recorded every year and reported to the state for comparison with previous years.
Rogers enrollment was up 142 students to 14,148, a 1 percent increase, according to figures provided by the School District.
That’s the second-smallest percent increase in the past 10 years, according to the figures. Oct. 1 enrollment for 2009 was the smallest, at 0.91 percent.
Cauldwell attributed at least some of the slowdown, especially in lower grades, to young families moving out of the area because of a lack of jobs in industries such as construction.
The planned elementary school is in the southwest part of town near the border with Lowell. Cauldwell said some elementary schools have room, but they’re in parts of town that haven’t seen much growth. Others, such as Bellview, are at or above their designed capacity.
Cauldwell also said school administrators may have to start discussing a new high school or expanded high school facilities.
Both Rogers High School and Heritage High School are near their official capacities of about 2,000 students, administrators have said.
But both schools could add several hundred more students each by having teachers switch classrooms and possibly by having more classes at The Annex, a school building on South First Street.
Robert Moore, principal of Rogers High School, said his school’s enrollment increased by 76 students this year to 1,990.
“It’s hard to account for that bump,” he said. “That additional enrollment was a little bit of a surprise.”
Moore said some teachers at his school have to leave their classrooms during their work periods to make room for other classes.
Roger Hill, director of human resources for the district, said he’s added the equivalent of one and a half teachers at the high school level because of increased enrollment — one-half science, one-half math and one-half English.
Ron Young, director of transportation for the district, said he did not have specific bus ridership numbers, but he said bus use seems to be up this year, perhaps from a combination of increased enrollment and a still-sluggish economy.
He said he added one bus route and was “double-busing” in some areas, meaning sending buses to transport one load of students then returning to transport a second load.