Kindergarten enrollment up in C-Falls

Landon Stamper happily walked right into Glacier Gateway School on the first day of school last week with a big smile on his face.

“This is my first time,” the youngster beamed as he walked with his mom, Grace, on Aug. 29.

Stamper was one of a host of new kindergartners this year. Kindergartner enrollment is up at both Ruder and Glacier Gateway elementary schools this year, with 171 students.

Glacier Gateway has 86 kindergartner students, and Ruder has 85. That means 20 to 22 students in each of the school’s four kindergartner classes.

Kindergarten enrollment in Columbia Falls has been up and down in recent years — 158 in 2010, 128 in 2011 and 151 in 2012. This year’s enrollment will top 2010’s figures.

“It’s a bigger class,” School District 6 superintendent Michael Nicosia said. “That’s good news.”

There’s no pat answer for why enrollment is up, Ruder principal Brenda Krueger said. School District 6 has a fairly transient population. In a typical year, 30 percent of the Ruder enrollment comes and goes as families move into and out of the district, she said.

Total first day enrollment was 467 at Ruder and 472 at Glacier Gateway for a total of 939 students. High school enrollment is down a little from last year — 698 students on the first day compared to 708 last year.

The high school continues to see a drop in enrollment. In October 2009, enrollment was 779, but by 2010 it had declined to 727. Elementary enrollment has been somewhat more stable, with 969 in 2009 and 952 in 2010.

Junior high school enrollment on the first day this year was 451, but 479 were actually registered to attend, principal Dave Wick said.

It usually takes a few weeks for enrollment numbers to settle across the board, as registration numbers don’t always compute to actual bodies, school officials said. Last year, the junior high had 487 students enrolled in October.

Enrollment is an important piece of the district’s financial pie, as state funding is based in part on enrollment numbers.