So far, the steep decline in enrollment predicted three years ago for Harvard’s schools has failed to materialize. While still lower than its historic high of 1,307 students in 2007, this year’s official enrollment as of Oct. 1 totals 1,143 students for all grades, from pre-kindergarten through high school seniors.
This year’s total is just one student shy of last year’s, which stood at 1,144 at the same point in the school year. According to a 2012 study by the School Committee and administration, enrollment was expected to drop to 1,129 this year, about a percentage point below the actual figure.
More important than this small difference, enrollment is rising most sharply in the earliest grades, suggesting that numbers may trend upward—not downward—in the near future. Kindergarten is about 30 percent higher than predicted (63 children instead of 48). First grade is up 27 percent (57 instead of 45); second grade is up 16 percent (78 instead of 67); and third grade is up 15 percent (81 instead of 72). At fourth grade and above, enrollments are sometimes lower than predicted, sometimes higher.
More than 50 children moved into the Harvard school district over the summer, Superintendent Linda Dwight told the School Committee at its Monday night meeting, with the largest increase coming in second grade.
