EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – District enrollment rose in August versus August 2020, despite a drop in Job Corps students, Superintendent Travis Hux stated in a Sept. 13 memo to district leaders.

Job Corps enrollment declined by 113 students, or 78%. Hux attributed the drop to the facility being closed.

He reported a 47% enrollment spike among prekindergartners and wrote the district might “need to open another classroom.”

Other district schools reporting increases were Lewis Elementary, 13.66%; Excelsior Springs High School, 9.27%; and Elkhorn Elementary in Ray County, 2.43%. In addition, Hux reported a “nearly 8%” increase of “non-Job Corps” students.

Middle school enrollment remained about the same, Hux stated.

District statistics showed 2,783 preK-12 students, counting Head Start students. That is up from 2,694 students in August 2020 – a 3.3% increase.

First-year high school students comprised the largest class at 275, followed by sophomores at 258. The sophomore class included 31 Job Corps stude…