At its Sept. 2 meeting, Morton Community Unit School District 709 presented an updated sixth-day enrollment snapshot and recognized district preschool staff after the program received a Gold Circle of Quality rating from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Kate Wyman, who presented the six-day enrollment figures (August 19 data), said the district’s sixth-day count was 3,226 students across District 709 alone; when combined with Bethel and Blessed Sacrament students the total presented was 3,621. Wyman said the district’s enrollment had already changed modestly since Aug. 19 and that, by the time of the meeting, the enrollment figure had increased slightly to 3,236. She noted the district’s kindergarten enrollment decreased to 175 students compared with 207 the prior year.

Wyman said the Cropper enrollment projection, last revised in June 2022, predicted 3,223 students for the current year—very close to the district’s day-6 figure. She told the board that variations are common and that Central Illinois has had downward enrollment trends broadly, though some districts have experienced upticks.

Superintendent and board members praised Wyman and district teams for managing registration and technology systems and for supporting families during sign-up. The board also recognized the preschool team after ISBE awarded the program the Gold Circle of Quality rating; district leadership credited teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, support staff and partners across departments for the recognition.

Wyman emphasized that day-6 counts change as families complete registration and that the district would continue to monitor enrollment throughout the year.