RESERVE – Student enrollment in St. John the Baptist Parish public schools increased by 163 students over last year’s count, marking the third consecutive year the school system has grown and the largest jump yet in its upward growth trend.

School officials credit the system’s K-8 restructuring, which began three years ago under Superintendent Michael Coburn’s leadership, and the strong career pathway curriculums offered at East St. John High School.

“The numbers show that we are retaining more of our students, and that’s great news for our school system and for our communities,” said Coburn. “We’re making great progress since we started our ‘turnaround’ efforts three years ago.”

The official enrollment for this school year is 6,373, according to the Oct. 1 count, which will be used to determine the school district’s level of state funding according to the Minimum Foundation Program) formula. The school system also has another 218 pre-school and early age children on its rolls that are not calculated in the formula.

Last year’s MFP count was 6,210 students, which was up nearly 80 students from the previous year.

Robert Schaff, supervisor of child welfare and attendance, said the district’s growth not only continues to offset a decade-long spiral of declining enrollment numbers that existed before three years ago, but it also is an above-average improvement for the state’s region. In St. Charles Parish, for instance, total enrollment went from 9,765 to 9,795, according to spokesperson Barbara Thibodeaux.

The St.John system revamped its elementary schools three years ago to become K-8 schools, allowing students to stay on the same campus, enjoy the same environment and benefit from the same support system through eighth grade, rather than transfer to a middle school after sixth grade.

The results for the district’s students have mirrored those in national studies – students have scored better on tests, had less behavior problems and stayed in school longer.

Moreover, those same students are continuing their public education within the district at the high school level.

“Many of our students are excited about the opportunities offered to them at our high schools, particularly at East St. John High School, which is a national model for creating smaller campus communities and offering career pathways,” said Coburn.

Coburn noted that the most significant enrollment growth occurred at East St. John High School, which grew by more than 100 students from last year. This year’s official count for the high school is 1,469. However, Principal Debra Schum said her actual numbers have already climbed above that official count to come closer to 1,480.

Several other schools have modest to appreciable growth, including LaPlace Elementary, Garyville/Mt. Airy Magnet, Fifth Ward, and John L. Ory. Glade’s enrollment stayed about the same, and East St. John Elementary has fewer students this year than last. Enrollment at both west bank schools also show modest declines.

“Our system is making appreciable gains, not only in the area of growth, but also in student performance,” said Coburn. “Last year, our students improved their Iowa Test scores at all five grade levels, and our fourth and eighth grade students improved in three of the four areas of the state LEAP exam.”

“Our schools are moving in the right direction, and we’re making progress every day. It’s an exciting time for St. John the Baptist Parish,” he said.