Schools
First Day Enrollment Dips in Murrieta Valley Unified
About 200 fewer students than were expected attended the first day of school today. Officials expect attendance to fluctuate within the next few weeks.
The Murrieta Valley Unified School District saw fewer students for the start of the 2011-2012 school year today, but officials expect that number to balance out in the coming weeks.
The total attendance for the first day of school was 21,987, which was slightly down from last year and fewer than projected, the district's spokeswoman said.
The district projected 22,188 students for this school year, about 200 fewer than attended today.
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"Our number will fluctuate for the first few weeks," Spokeswoman Karen Parris said. "This is just a snapshot of one day."
One school that saw an increase in students was Rail Ranch Elementary, where two sixth-grade classes were added at 31 students each. Its enrollment was 683 last year and 727 today, Parris said, an increase of 44.
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Enrollment at Shivela Middle School, which is the main feeder school for Rail Ranch, dipped somewhat, from 1,508 last year to 1,387 today--a difference of 121.
Parris said the decline at Shivela can not be attributed solely to adding sixth grade at Rail Ranch, however. There could be many contributing factors, she said, such as intra-district transfers.
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