By SARA GREENE
Leader Staff Writer
Official school enrollment totals aren’t due until next week, but an unofficial count has the Cabot School District keeping pace with projected enrollment figures. So far, the district has 8,232 students. Last year, enrollment was just over 8,000.
“I expect we’ll get a few more students after Labor Day,” said Frank Holman, Cabot School District superintendent.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if our official enrollment number hits the 8,300 mark this year.”
Last year the district saw 290 new students on the first day of classes.
Holman said over the past three years, the district has grown by an average 250 students per year.
The Beebe School District is also seeing a jump in the student population. Unofficial enrollment at Beebe stands at 2,915, an increase of 133 students over last year.
“We’re excited,” said Scott Embry, principal at Beebe High School. “We’re seeing good steady growth and hopefully we’re gaining at a pace that keeps up with our building program.”
First-day enrollment at Pulaski County Special School District was 15,945, down roughly 2,000 from last year, but much of that was attributed to school starting on a Friday, according to a school spokesman.
Of those, 8,129 were elementary school students, 7,816 were secondary school students.
Updated enrollment figures from Pulaski County Special School District and the Lonoke School District were unavailable. Last year, Lonoke had an enrollment of 1,818.
