Oct. 2, 2013:  The Bronxville School opened its 2013-2014 academic year with a combined enrollment of 1,717 students in its three schools, elementary, middle, and high school. 

The figure, which represents 5.2% growth over 2012-2013, represents an all-time high enrollment for the school. The district has seen 11% growth since 2010.

Provisional enrollment on the first day of school showed 781 students in kindergarten through grade 5; 428 students in grades 6 through 8; and 509 students in grades 9 through 12.

Superintendent Dr. David Quattrone reported that, although the district anticipated some growth, new enrollments plus unexpected retention of students from grade 8 to grade 9 drove enrollment numbers higher than projections. The typical attrition pattern the district has seen in past years, when several grade 8 students transfer to private schools, did not occur this year.

"Most of the projections weren't that far off," Quattrone stated, "but when you have such small cohorts at each grade level, you very quickly see some percentage changes."

Based on past grade 8 to grade 9 attrition patterns, the district projected 115 students in grade 9 for the 2013-2014 school year but saw 126 students on opening day. "Of all the cohorts, it's the single greatest discrepancy in the projections," Quattrone said, "and we don’t know, at this point, whether it's a trend from this one data point. We'll see what happens next year."

A significant factor in increased enrollment is at the kindergarten level, where 123 students enrolled rather than the projected 114. The district predicted enough growth at that level to add a new section and teacher.

Quattrone pointed out that each time enrollment calls for the addition of a section, other factors such as demands for physical education and other support services needed must be addressed in the budget. "It’s a complex set of circumstances," he said.  Staffing, he added, is always based on enrollment projections.

Quattrone noted that the administration is keeping an eye on the "bulge" in enrollment in grades 4 through 8, where each grade has approximately 140 students, to discern whether that trend might come into play in the lower grades in the future.

The average class size in grade 4 is 24.5 students in six sections, up from 21.8 students in the same number of sections in 2012-2013.  It represents the largest average class size in the elementary school.  Overall average class size in the elementary school is 22.6 students over 34 sections, as compared to 21.6 students over the same number of sections in 2012-2013.

The middle school averages 21.8 students per class and the high school, 20.7 students.

Bronxville Board of Education President David Brashear, in noting the large student body numbers, said that the board would work to understand and analyze demographic changes in the village and their expected impact on school enrollment.

"The board will need to conduct detailed analyses throughout the budget planning cycle to ensure that we can continue to manage our district with a high degree of financial integrity while also maintaining our mission of bringing a superior educational experience to our students," Brashear said.

Pictured here: Bronxville students on the front lawn of The Bronxville School.

Photo by N. Bower