Enrollment is up by several hundred students for the second straight year in Dalton Public Schools. It remains about the same for Whitfield County Schools.
Officials are required to report enrollment numbers for their 10th day of school for state funding allocations and other purposes. This year’s numbers show some 7,536 students were enrolled in the city school system on the 10th day while 13,306 were enrolled in the county system. Last year at the same time, the city school system had 7,220 students while the county system had 13,306.
Morris Innovative High School expanded significantly since last year, rising from about 300 students to 456. Officials originally said they were aiming for between 500 and 550, which is the capacity for the newly refurbished building at Fort Hill they moved to over the summer.
Principal Jennifer Phinney said that number is still “pretty close” to the goal for the school that because of construction wasn’t ready for tours until school started.
“I think it had as much to do with they couldn’t come really and tour the building beforehand, just some of the unknowns about that as much as anything,” she said of the lower enrollment. “And then, our approach was truly student choice.”
School system spokeswoman Pat Holloway said some 303 letters were mailed to students’ parents over the summer, suggesting Morris might be a good fit for them. The school caters to students who have fallen behind academically, who desire a smaller school setting, or who want to take some of the career classes that Dalton High doesn’t offer. Students who received the letter but wanted to attend Dalton High were required to meet with Morris administrators first but were allowed to attend the school they preferred, officials said.
Holloway said 154 students chose to remain at Dalton High but an extra 60 who were not sent letters suggesting they attend Morris chose the non-traditional high school anyway. She said 124 of the students who were sent letters stayed at Morris as of about the 10th day and several others were unaccounted for because they either moved away or for some other reason didn’t re-enroll in the school system at all.
In Whitfield County Schools, enrollment continued to climb at Coahulla Creek High School. The new school opened to 723 students last year and grew to 889 this year.
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10th day enrollment numbers
Whitfield County Schools
Antioch Elementary: 506
Beaverdale Elementary: 466
Cedar Ridge Elementary: 516
Coahulla Creek High: 889
Cohutta Elementary: 326
Dawnville Elementary: 566
Dug Gap Elementary: 413
Eastside Elementary: 555
Eastbrook Middle: 661
New Hope Elementary: 605
New Hope Middle: 661
Northwest Whitfield High: 1,311
North Whitfield Middle: 867
Pleasant Grove Elementary: 521
Phoenix High: 156
Southeast Whitfield High: 1,365
Special services: 42
Tunnel Hill Elementary: 351
Valley Point Elementary: 510
Valley Point Middle: 452
Varnell Elementary: 484
Westside Elementary: 646
Westside Middle: 523
Total: 13,306
Total for 2011: 13,245
Dalton Public Schools
Blue Ridge Elementary: 740
Brookwood Elementary: 622
City Park Elementary: 808
Dalton Middle: 1,669
Dalton High: 1,442
Morris Innovative High: 456
Park Creek Elementary: 757
Roan Elementary: 457
Special services: 18
Westwood Elementary: 567
Total: 7,536
Total for 2011: 7,220
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