Watford City schools see more students than expected
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
Steve Holen, McKenzie County Public School District No. 1 superintendent, knew that Watford City’s schools would see an enrollment jump when the district began classes on Thursday, Aug. 23. Just a week before classes were set to start, he says that the district had already registered just over 1,700 students.
But when 1,836 students showed up for classes, it was a number that took him by surprise.
“We thought having 1,750 students would be a good number,” states Holen. “We didn’t think that 1,800 students was even in our realm this year. But here we are.”
The 300-plus gain in students from the 1,531 students the district had on the last of school last May is the largest single year enrollment increase that the school district has ever seen.
“The previous largest gain we’ve ever had was 220 students, which occurred from the spring of 2013 to the fall of 2014,” states Holen.
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