One year after enrollment significantly dropped, the Perry School District was happy to discover the numbers have climbed back up a bit this year.

Superintendent Clark Wicks reports that the certified enrollment for the 2018-2019 school year is sitting at 1,811.7 students, which is up from 1,769.8 last year, an increase of 41.9. Similarly, the District’s served enrollment, which tracks kids actually in the classrooms, rose by 6.2 students, from 1,687.3 last year to 1,693.5 this year. Wicks says while the growth may seem modest, it’s much better than losing 65 students, which was what they experienced in last year’s enrollment figures. He’s hopeful that the school is in an upward swing, but adds that preschool enrollment is slightly down this year.

Wicks emphasizes that it’s important for schools to keep their enrollment up, as it’s the number one factor for state funding. “Everything in public schools is enrollment-driven. So every student that you have, or that you serve, there is a certain dollar amount to those students. It’s close to $6,700. So when you lose students, you lose the amount of money that you have to serve kids. When you gain enrollment, you have a little bit more money. So it’s critical in the public education formula.”

To hear more from Wicks, click the link below to listen to the most recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with him.

https://raccoonvalleyradio.com/2018/11/lets-talk-dallas-county-11132018-clark-wicks/