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Parkrose enrollment up at middle grades; district monitors large kindergarten classes
Summary
Superintendent Michael Lopez told the board that enrollment shifts include a large sixth-grade cohort and growing kindergarten counts at some elementary schools, prompting staff to consider targeted assistance to classrooms with unusually high enrollments.
Parkrose School District reported enrollment updates during the Sept. 8 working session, noting a larger-than-expected sixth-grade cohort, steady preschool counts and kindergarten classes at Sacramento Elementary that require additional attention.
Superintendent Michael Lopez said districtwide counts show about 950 students at Parkrose High School and a sizeable increase at Parkrose Middle School — up to approximately 667 students, which Lopez said represents a roughly 50-student gain since spring projections. Lopez told the board the district was watching Sacramento Elementary, where two kindergarten classrooms had combined enrollment near 60 students as of the report.
Lopez said some preschool programs operate under different funding and enrollment rules, with Multnomah County Preschool for All and the state Preschool Promise grant covering certain sites; those programs have caps (for example, preschool classes capped at 18 students under the Preschool Promise rules). He noted that Shaver and Sacramento have different classroom and staffing configurations; Sacramento’s kindergarten surge could require additional in-class assistance rather than shifting teachers between sites.
The superintendent said district funding is driven by state school fund enrollment counts, and that early September figures will inform budget calculations. He asked principals to confirm which registered students have shown up in the first days; staff said they call families when students do not appear.
No formal personnel or budget actions were taken at the Sept. 8 meeting. Lopez said staff would return to the board with a plan to provide additional support to the kindergarten classroom(s) if enrollment remains high and staffing or benefits-based adjustments are required.
