School officials watch enrollment
Small increase in number of pupils seen for next year
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

School officials in Marlboro’s K-8 district are projecting a total increase in enrollment of 41 students in the 2007-08 school year.

At a recent meeting, Assistant Superintendent Marc Gaswirth presented the Marlboro Board of Education with enrollment projections for the coming school year.

According to information presented at the meeting, there are a total of 6,129 students enrolled in the K-8 district this year. Officials are projecting 6,170 students to attend the district in the 2007-08 school year. The numbers for next year are remaining relatively flat, Gaswirth said.

One of three major changes for next year’s enrollment is the first-graders, which Gaswirth said is due to this year’s kindergarten enrollment being so low.

The total first grade enrollment for this year is 656 pupils, while next year administrators are anticipating 549 first-graders. These figures do not include special education students in first grade.

Gaswirth noted that the district’s projected numbers for next year may be a little higher than what the district may actually see, depending on kindergarten enrollment in September 2007.

In 2001 there were 420 live births in Marlboro, which generated 355 kindergarten pupils in the 2006-07 school year. In 2002 there was 475 live births in the township and the district is projecting 425 kindergarten students for 2007-08.

Gaswirth noted that if administrators’ numbers are too low for the Marlboro Early Learning Center (MELC), which houses all of the district’s kindergarten pupils, then the district will be faced with a space problem. It could be a real pressure point if administrators underestimated the kindergarten numbers, he added.

The enrollment at MELC, including special education, is 473 pupils this year. A total of 543 students, including special education, are expected for the 2007-08 school year.

The average class size for kindergartners is 23.6 pupils.

Another major change in enrollment next year will be at the Asher Holmes Elementary School, which is expecting a decrease of 38 students in 2007-08. The school currently houses 626 pupils in grades one through five; administrators are projecting that number to drop to 588 students in the coming school year. These figures include special education students.

The other four elementary schools remain about the same, most with a slight decrease in enrollment.

Officials are expecting a drop in enrollment at the Robertsville Elementary School, the Frank Defino Central Elementary School and the Marlboro Elementary School. The figures reported for the elementary schools include special education students.

The Defino Central school currently has 832 students; projections for next year total 820 students.

A decrease of 21 students is expected for the Marlboro Elementary School. The building currently houses 691 students; that number is expected to be 670 students next year.

A nine-student decrease at the Robertsville school is expected with 672 students this year and a projected 663 students in 2007-08.

At the Frank J. Dugan Elementary School, officials are anticipating an increase of nine students. There are currently 702 pupils attending the school; next year the district is projecting 711 students.

The average class size for first grade is between 19.8 (Robertsville) and 23.2 (Marlboro Elementary) students. In second grade the average class size is between 22.2 and 23.2 students.

In third grade the average class size is between 23.1 and 25.3 students. The average class size in fourth grade is between 22.0 (Dugan) and 26.5 (Robertsville) students.

The average class size in fifth grade is between 23.9 (Defino) and 26. 5 (Robertsville) students.

The last major change in the projected enrollment for next year is at the Marlboro Memorial Middle School, which Gaswirth said is facing a 57-student increase. The school houses pupils in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

There are currently 949 students attending the Marlboro Memorial Middle School; administrators are projecting 1,006 pupils to be attending the school next year.

Gaswirth said this anticipated increase is due to the number of fifth-graders currently attending the Robertsville and Defino Central schools. The fifth grade classes leaving these schools is unusually higher than the other elementary schools, he added.

Meanwhile, a 17-student drop in enrollment is expected at the Marlboro Middle School. The present enrollment is 1,184 students; the projection for the 2007-08 school year is 1,167 pupils.

The figures reported for the two middle schools include special education students.

Board member Andrea Miller expressed concern with the projections for the middle schools because she said the Marlboro Memorial Middle School was built to house a smaller student population than the Marlboro Middle School.

Superintendent of Schools David Abbott said the Marlboro Middle School’s enrollment will increase in subsequent years.