WEST FARGO – Schools here opened their doors on the first day of school Monday to more than 500 new students.
District officials counted 9,105 students in the district Monday, the first day of classes. Of those, 561 students were new to the district that includes all of West Fargo and some of Fargo.
Independence Elementary School, the district’s ninth elementary school, reported 475 students enrolled when it opened for its first day of school after construction was finished earlier this year.
The district expected to see about 470 new students this year.
District Spokeswoman Heather Konschak said the numbers were fairly close to what was expected in the district, which has grown by 90 percent in the past 10 years and is up about 7 percent from the first day of school last year.
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Since 1994, the student population has grown by 4,239 students, Konschak said.
The majority of new students, 328, were in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. An additional 233 students were enrolled in grades six through 12.
This year’s kindergarten class comprised of 884 students will be the largest in West Fargo’s history, Konschak said.
At the high school level, 607 students began their freshman year at Sheyenne High School, where 249 sophomores and 193 juniors also attend. A total of 1,049 students are enrolled at Sheyenne, the district’s newest high school that houses grades nine through 12.
At West Fargo High School, 531 seniors are attending class with 366 juniors and 375 sophomores for a total attendance of 1,272.
In Horace, 227 students are enrolled, down slightly from the 232 students who started the school year there in 2013. In Harwood, 132 students were counted Monday. Last year, 130 students were enrolled on the first day of school in Harwood. The largest elementary school enrollment as of Monday in the district is Aurora, with an enrollment of 548, up from 486 last year.
Construction on Legacy Elementary, which will be the school’s 10th elementary school, began earlier this year. It is expected to open in 2015.
Readers can reach Forum reporter
Wendy Reuer at (701) 241-5530
