Enrollment doesn’t hit projections in two districts

Marissa Espino

The enrollment numbers for two of the four Fountain Valley and Huntington

Beach school districts are below projections, but district officials

anticipate an increase in the next couple of weeks.

Huntington Beach Union High School District had 14,429 students enrolled

the first day of school, Sept. 8.

“We really wait until the first of October to see how the numbers settle

down,” said Patricia Koch, assistant superintendent of business services.

“We are up a little over 400 from last year, but I wouldn’t necessarily

expect 100 of the students to be there when the dust settles.”

Koch said enrollment could decrease because the current numbers include

students who might have moved, and the numbers also do not reflect the

students who drop out in the beginning weeks of school.

Huntington Beach City School District wasn’t hit as hard as last year,

when district officials hired new teachers and purchased portables once

school was in session.

As of Monday, 6,632 students were enrolled in the district. Officials

expect another 50 to 75 students by the end of the month, said John

Conniff, director of administrator services.

“We also anticipate more growth during the year,” he said. “We don’t know

exactly what the impact is going to be on the west part of town.”

Fountain Valley School District officials had an increase of 58 students

with 6,299 students enrolled compared to a projection of 6,241, said Paul

Burkart, assistant superintendent of business and administration.

Burkart said the district expected another five years of minor changes in

enrollment because birth rates in Fountain Valley are sustaining and many

families tend to remain in the city.

Ocean View School District showed 9,844 students enrolled as of Monday.

The district projected 1,028, but Supt. James Tarwater said more students

are trickling in.

“They usually come in slowly this week and next so I think we will be on

target,” Tarwater said.

A comparison of this year’s and last year’s enrollments after the first

week of school:

Fall 1998 Fall 1999

Fountain Valley 6,248 6,299

Huntington Beach

Union High School District 14,226 14,429

Huntington Beach City 6,593 6,632

Ocean View 9,903 9,844