Student count down 9 from 1 year ago

    Enrollment figures during the first few days of school in Holyoke School District Re-1J decreased by nine from the first-day figures recorded one year ago.
    Students started classes Thursday, Aug. 17, and additions and deletions to class lists are still in progress this week.
    As of Tuesday morning, Aug. 22, the total enrollment for K-12 was 580, down from 589 recorded at the start of the 2016-17 school year.
    That includes 307 in grades K-6, 261 in grades 7-12 and 12 in Holyoke Alternative School only. A couple of students are in both the JR/SR high and the alternative school but were included only once for count purposes.
    For state funding purposes, the actual student count is linked to the Oct. 1 enrollment, not this first-week count.
    The funded full-time equivalent student number in October will count kindergartners as half students and also counts preschoolers eligible for special education services through BOCES as half students.
    First-week counts in the district have been up and down in the last decade. They increased by 32 in 2009, dropped by 19 in 2010, increased by 16 in 2011, stayed steady in 2012, dropped by 12 in 2013, increased by 20 in 2014, dropped by six in 2015 and dropped by two last year.

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