Enrollment numbers up in Lynn schools

LYNN – Elementary and kindergarten classes in several city schools saw enrollment figures jump over the summer.Preliminary counts show 15 classes with 30 or more students, the largest of which is a second-grade class at Ford Elementary School with 33 students.”I am waiting for the latest enrollment numbers from the principals,” said Superintendent Catherine Latham. “We are holding level right now, but we have to wait and see the final numbers.”Latham did not say when she would make a final decision about adding new classrooms, but earlier this month she warned the School Committee at a budget hearing that there were “hot spots” in several schools where class sizes were threatening to hit 32, the tipping point that would trigger the creation of a new class.”We are holding level right now, but we have to wait and see the final numbers,” she said.Overall, student enrollment in Lynn stands at 13,372, which is down by 160 students since schools closed in June.Schools that saw the biggest drop in their numbers were Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute, which saw enrollment dip by 88 students, and Breed Middle School, which started the new school year with 43 fewer students.The total number of students at Ingalls Elementary School has also dropped by 32 children, but Ingalls is still on the list of district hot spots. All three of Ingalls kindergarten classes have 31 students.”Sometimes it’s hard to predict the numbers,” said Ingalls Principal Kimberlee Powers. “We have a higher transiency rate than other neighborhoods. What you see in June isn’t always the reality you find in September.”Like other principals, Powers is waiting for a final head count to see if more teachers will be hired. In the meantime, she said Ingalls newest students are settling in. “We have great teachers, so we are able to manage, even with classes this size,” she said.Over at Cobbet Elementary School, Principal Brian Fay has also seen class sizes jump significantly since June.Last year, Cobbet kindergarten classes had a minimum of 22 students and a maximum of 27. This year, Cobbet’s smallest kindergarten class is 26 students, while the largest is 30. Cobbet also has a second- and third-grade class with 30 students and a class of fourth-graders with 31 students.”We do fluctuate in the beginning of the year, but this year, people are coming and staying,” said Fay.For generations, class size has been an issue among parents and educators, the majority of whom agree the smaller the class the better the odds are for student achievement.The National Center for Public Education recently reviewed 19 of the most thorough studies on class size and found that not only did small classes boost test scores and other accomplishments, the optimum class size for increasing student achievement is 18 students. The Center for Public Education also found that small classes were most beneficial in grades K-3.But many cities and towns throughout the state and the rest of the country are facing budget troubles and making tough choices between education and other primary needs like public safety. As a result, class sizes are creeping up everywhere.