Enrollment Jumps for Minot Schools - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Enrollment Jumps for Minot Schools

The school year is officially underway in the Magic City -- Minot Public Schools opened doors across town for the first time this year, and as expected hundreds more kids than last year walked through.

The official headcount for the first day of class was 7,133.

That's an increase of about 275 from last year.

But perhaps most amazing is the number for kindergarten...As of this morning, there were 733 kindergartners in Minot Public Schools - up by almost 300 from one year ago.

Here at Sunnyside the head count is up about 30 over the last day of school from this Spring.

The actual number of new students however is 70 when you take into account those who moved out of the district.

That meant this morning as parents dropped kids off for the first day, there were plenty of new faces!

Principal Cindy Cook says the day started off great, and seeing so many old and new faces was exciting.

(Cindy Cook - Sunnyside Principal) "A lot of names to learn! A lot of states represented. Georgia, North and South Carolina, South Dakota...it is going to be great. Staff if really excited so it is going to be a good day!"

Parents too were excited about sending kids back...

We talked with some making the initial drop off...some for the first time ever -- kindergartners!

"I think our son is ready to go and he has been talking about it all summer...the day has come and we are hoping that he has a good time!"

At Sunnyside the increase in students led to the delivery of yet another portable classroom -- that had to be positioned right on the front lawn.

The only place there was room left.

Superintendent Mark Vollmer asks parents with students not yet registered to get that done right away so officials can continue getting classes and schools aligned to handle to high volume of students.