CONCORD, N.C. – As of the end of last week, there were 30,743 students enrolled in Cabarrus County Schools, which was 224 more than the state projected for the 2014-15 academic year, according to the system.
The enrollment is 791 more students than the enrollment at the end of the 2013-14 year.
“That’s a school,” said Chris Lowder, assistant superintendent of administrative services for the system.
Lowder presented a report on the opening of schools for this academic year to the Cabarrus County Board of Education during its work session on Monday.
Most of the growth is in Harrisburg, Lowder said.
“We know the Hickory Ridge and Cox Mill areas are our two highest growing areas. … Two neighborhoods in the Harrisburg area issued over 200 permits since we got out of school. … That’s where we under projected,” Lowder said.
Board member David Harrison asked how the schools accommodate more students, and Lowder said it depends on the facility and capacity.
Board member Jeff Phillips asked if charter school Carolina International School’s moving from Harrisburg to the Cox Mill area might have affected the increase in students in the Harrisburg schools. Lowder said it was difficult to predict.
“We definitely accounted for less students in the Cox Mill area because it’s so close. Carolina International School is so close to Cox Mill Elementary,” Lowder said. “The reality is they’re above what we projected…and Odell’s actually down. … The Odell area by far looks to be the place that would explode the most, and they’re down 50-60 students. … It’s a guess, and that’s not what I thought the guess would be.”
Of the 30,743 students, about 125 are homeless, according to John Basilice, family education and community involvement coordinator for the system, Lowder said.
About 5,600 students are served breakfast, and almost 16,000 are served lunch in the system. Those numbers include paid, free and reduced price meals.
There are 254 buses and seven vans that travel more than 27,000 miles each day to transport about 25,000 students, Lowder said.
Within the system there are 3,817 employees, 1,941 of which are teachers. Among the teachers, 221 are new to the system and 68 are first-year teachers, Lowder said.
“We only had seven and a half vacancies in the classroom on the first day of school,” Lowder said.
Some of the new programs starting within the system are the high school academies, which are meant to offer students experience and a certification or credit, in addition to their high school diploma. The Academy of Information Technology at Cox Mill High School and the Academy of Global Hospitality and Tourism at Hickory Ridge High School have passed their first year of accreditation through the National Academy Foundation, and they are underway, said Deputy Superintendent Jason Van Heukelum.
This year, most of the high schools are doing blended learning, which uses technology for a more personalized approach, administrators have said. Schools are also transitioning from a printed textbook to online resources with the program icurio, as Superintendent Barry Shepherd said last month. There are School Resource Officers in elementary schools, in addition to the middle and high schools, this year because of a state grant the system received.
The school system has also had nurses in all schools since 1999, and it has two athletic trainers at every high school and one at every middle school, Lowder said.
This year, all 19 Kids:Plus before- and after-school centers are five-star rated. There are more than 900 students enrolled at the centers, which is an increase of about 150 from last year, Lowder said.
As the board discussed the report, they said they appreciated hearing the information and felt the school year has had a smooth start, based on the fewer amount of emails they received.
Board member Carolyn Carpenter said she heard about a couple of schools that are providing free breakfasts and lunches and asked if it was true. Kelly Propst, assistant superintendent of technology, child nutrition and Kids:Plus, said there are pilot programs at Royal Oaks and Wolf Meadow elementary schools that provide free breakfast and lunch for any student that wants the meals, regardless of status, because of a grant the system received.
Carpenter said another comment she heard from the community had to do with the increase in students at A.T. Allen Elementary School. Lowder said the school had about 60-70 more students than projected.
“We’re not exactly sure (why). We don’t have a neighborhood to point to (and the area does not) have a lot of permits,” Lowder said.
Phillips said the system must be doing something right, since it has seen such an increase in enrollment.
“People want to live here. People want to send their children to our schools,” Phillips said. “This is just much better than the alternative.”
Contact reporter Jessica Groover Pacek: 704-789-9152