At the end of the first month of school, student enrolment in Red Deer Public Schools remains consistent with last year. The district’s enrolment count on Sept. 30th remains at 10,700 students, the same as last year’s number.

“We have seen an increase of 100 students across our K to 12 schools which is very positive. At the same time this has been offset by a decline in students registered at our Alternative School Programs,” said Stu Henry, Superintendent of Schools.

Recognizing the challenging economy, principals and district administration anticipated little growth in student numbers. “We are reflection of our community. We recognize that the population in Red Deer has recently declined. At the same time, we know that Red Deer has a young population and that we would still see some new students, but not consistent with past growth,” said Henry. Over the last number of years, the district has typically grown between 1% and 2%.

As schools planned for the current school year, budget projections are consistent with the current enrolment. Since the start of the school year, 1.8 FTE teachers have been hired to address some hotspots.

– Fawcett