School enrollment numbers available

Published 11:23 am Monday, September 12, 2011

The head count for the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year for the entire Mercer Island School District is 4,233.

FTE, or full-time equivalent, is 4,004 or 71.05 more kids than the district budgeted for. This is good news though, since state funding is based on FTE.

While Island Park and Lakeridge Elementary schools were under budget — Island Park by 15.5 and Lakeridge by 26, West Mercer saw 23.5 more kids. Superintendent Gary Plano pointed out that Island Park, with 506.5 FTE students, has most of the special needs kids, while West Mercer, with 630.5 FTE, has the gifted program. Lakeridge Elementary has 541 FTE students.

Islander Middle School was projected to have 965 students, and the actual number is 995.09 FTE. At Mercer Island High School, the budget was for 1,343 students; it, too, is up, by 52.96 FTE for a total of 1,395.96.

Plano said with attendance up, middle school teachers are a little overloaded, and about 12 teachers at the high school are carrying an extra load.

Lakeridge and West Mercer now have three lunch sessions to accommodate all the kids.