School District enrollment rises

Enrollment is up by 2,634 students, or almost one percent for the Clark County School District. There are 311,417 students compared to 308,783 students last year.

School officials took a count Friday, but they cautioned that the number is preliminary because it must be certified by the state Department of Education.

The district has experienced larger growth in the past, but Sharon Dattoli, the district director of demographics and zoning, considered this year's growth "healthy" because the district is already so large.

The district is the fifth-largest public school system in the country, after Florida's Miami-Dade School District, which has 337,763 students.

Clark County school officials were uncertain about growth this year because of the economic situation and high foreclosure rates.

Before the school year started, Superintendent Walt Rulffes said growth could be anywhere from negative 1.5 percent to positive 1.5 percent.

The district's growth is also notable because of Clark County's high student turnover.

"The numbers are there, but the faces are new," Dattoli said.

In light of the numbers, she did not expect that the district would have to transfer students from larger to smaller schools to adjust for enrollment, but some "surplus" teachers might be moved to schools with bigger staffing needs.

"That's normal," she said.