TRAVERSE CITY -- Fewer students are enrolled in Traverse City Area Public Schools this fall than a year ago, but the number of students leaving appears to have slowed.
Preliminary student head counts taken Wednesday showed 9,863 students in kindergarten through 12th grade attended classes in Traverse City, down 123 from September 2008, district data show.
The decline is less than the more than 300 students who left between 2007 and 2008.
The large exodus of a year ago was due in part to families leaving the area and state to find work, said Christine Davis, executive director of human resources, who records enrollment figures.
In addition, this year's 790 kindergarten students comprise the largest class since 2005. Eight schools have more than two kindergarten sections.
"We had more students move into the district than move out," Davis said. "It's above projections."
Fall head counts were taken at schools across the state Wednesday to determine how much per-student funding districts will receive.
Kingsley Area Schools lost 14 K-12 students since 2008, enrolling 1,505 this year.
Among the last six count days, since 2004, enrollment peaked at 1,524 in 2007, Superintendent Lynn Gullekson said. In 2004, 1,462 students were enrolled.
"We're seeing more local students leaving," Gullekson said. "The job market is coming into play."
One additional student enrolled in Elk Rapids Schools compared to a year ago, bringing the 2009 K-12 fall count to 1,556 students, interim Superintendent Mike McIntyre said.
But the district needed 13 more students in classes Wednesday to maintain the amount of per-student funding planned in this year's budget, McIntyre said.
Districts receive funding based on a blend of counts taken in February and September of the same calendar year. In February, Elk Rapids had 1,494 students enrolled.
Students from migrant families who left the district mid-year "without a doubt" contributed to the lower winter count, McIntyre said, adding that those enrolled now likely will leave within the next several weeks.
Not every district faced enrollment losses.
Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools gained 13 students this fall, bringing total enrollment to 556.
Superintendent Tom Stobie attributes the increase to students from other districts opting to attend Frankfort under what's known as school choice. Most come from neighboring Benzie County Central Schools.
"It's difficult for young families to live inside our district because of our property costs," said Stobie of Frankfort, a city of roughly 1,500 people near Lake Michigan. School choice "has made the difference for us."
And in Northport, enrollment reached 151 this fall, up from 145 a year ago, Superintendent Jeff Tropf said.
Enrollment could climb to nearly 160 students within a few weeks, he said, adding that four students are expected to register today.
The district's small size and Northport Promise college scholarship, given to graduating seniors based on the number of years they attended the school, could explain the increase, Tropf said.
"For Northport, that's significant," he said.
By the numbers
Head counts taken Wednesday in some of the region's public schools produced mixed results compared to September 2008. Some lost students, while others saw their numbers increase. A few local districts are listed below.
-- Traverse City Area Public Schools
2009: 9,863
2008: 9,986
Decline of 123 students
-- Kingsley Area Schools
2009: 1,505
2008: 1,519
Decline of 14 students
-- Northport Public School
2009: 151
2008: 145
Gain of six students
-- Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools
2009: 556
2008: 543
Gain of 13 students
-- Elk Rapids Schools
2009: 1,556
2008: 1,555
Gain of 1 student
-- Benzie County Central Schools
2009: 1,833
2008: 1,861
Decline of 28 students
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