Elementary schools pump Dothan City Schools enrollment

Enrollment is up in the Dothan City Schools overall this year, with growth in the elementary schools making up for losses in the middle and high schools.

According to the Dothan City school system, enrollment in the city school system is up by 92 students for the 2009-2010 school year. The enrollment is due entirely to an increased number of students in the elementary schools. Elementary school enrollment increased by 133 students. The city’s high schools lost 40 students and the middle schools lost one.

Sam Nichols, Dothan City School superintendent, said the losses at the high school level were likely influenced by dropouts and transfers to other schools. Nichols said the overall enrollment picture looks good for the city schools, but he wants to see growth in the middle and high schools too.

Dothan’s elementary schools have been trending upward in growth over the past five years. According to the system, the elementary schools have added 679 students since 2005.

The extra students have created overcrowding at some schools, which the system has addressed by installing portable classrooms at Faine Elementary School, Grandview Elementary School, Selma Street Elementary School and Landmark Elementary School. Nichols said plans to add classrooms to the schools would likely have to wait until state funding of the school system recovers from budget cuts. A new zoning plan that went into effect this year helped ease some of the overcrowding issues, however.

Hidden Lake Elementary School is the city’s largest elementary school with 591 students.

Shawn Weed, a Hidden Lake parent, said her family has been very pleased with the school. She said the school is very socioeconomically diverse, with well-to-do and low-income students. She said the school staff works hard to care for and educate each student at the school, going as far as to raise money for Christmas presents for needy students.

“You just feel like your child is truly loved and their education is important,” she said.

Weed said she actually turned down the opportunity to send her child to a magnet school because she’s so pleased with Hidden Lake.

“Dr. Armstrong (the principal) really makes sure that they’re taken care of,” she said.

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Dothan City Schools enrollment

Cloverdale Elementary 354
Faine Elementary 353
Girard Elementary 368
Grandview Elementary 418
Heard Magnet 419
Hidden Lake Elementary 591
Highlands Elementary 456
Kelly Springs Elementary 389
Landmark Elementary 383
Montana St Magnet 439
Selma St Elementary 480
Beverlye Magnet 476
Carver Magnet 453
Girard Middle 536
Honeysuckle Middle 562
Dothan High 1,178
Northview High 1,315

Total 9,177