Student enrollment is slightly down this year in Martha’s Vineyard public schools with 30 students fewer than last year, according to the annual Oct. 1 school census.
Across the Island, 2,094 students are enrolled in the public schools, compared to 2,124 last year. Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. Matthew D’Andrea said enrollment has remained steady for the past 15 years.
“Through the years we hover right around 2,100 mark, I anticipate that is the way it will be going forward also,” he said.
Peak enrollment Islandwide is in fourth grade, with 187 students, where school administrators are tracking a so-called bubble class.
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School has 643 students, a drop of 18 students from last year. The number of high school students from each town decreased, except in Edgartown where enrollment increased. Eleven high schoolers are enrolled from Aquinnah, 28 from Chilmark, 169 from Edgartown, 177 from Oak Bluffs, 160 from Tisbury and 98 from West Tisbury.
High school enrollment is a factor used to determine school district assessments every year.
Overall, elementary enrollment is slightly down with 1,451 students compared to 1,463 last year. Mr. D’Andrea said enrollment in the lower grades fluctuates based on where housing is available and other unknown reasons. He said school administrators monitor changes and adjust staff accordingly.
“We’re always watching it, we know what’s coming into certain grades, into certain buildings, and make staffing adjustment as necessary,” the superintendent said. This year, no extreme changes were needed to accommodate students.
The down-Island kindergarten through eighth grade elementary schools all saw slight dips in enrollment.
Edgartown has 347 students this year compared with 351 last year. In the Tisbury School, 300 students are enrolled, 10 fewer than last year. Oak Bluffs has 15 fewer students this year, with a total enrollment of 405.
Enrollment increased in both elementary schools in the up-Island district. West Tisbury has 348 students enrolled, nine more than last year. The Chilmark School, which enrolls students in kindergarten through fifth grade, has a total enrollment of 51, eight more than last year.
School principal Susan Stevens said there has been a concerted effort to attracting more students to the community school. Starting in January, the students lead weekly tours of the school for prospective families.
Most of the growth is in the lower grades where there are 20 students in the kindergarten-first grade class (11 in kindergarten, 9 in first grade). The school has a capacity of 60 students, with small class sizes.
Islandwide, boys outnumber girls by 36 students, but the Edgartown and Oak Bluffs schools both have more girls enrolled than boys.
The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School is not included in the census, but numbers obtained from the school show that it is full, with 180 students enrolled.
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