MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Monongalia County School system is projected to have a steady number of students enrolled for the 2024-25 school year, despite a population trend.
After the close of the first week of classes for the school year, early numbers presented to the Monongalia County Board of Education showed that 11,222 students are currently enrolled in classes across the county. School Superintendent Eddie Campbell and other school officials were not surprised by the projected enrollment numbers that showed a change in student populations for schools in both growing and less populated parts of the county.
“We’re right where we thought we would be coming in (the 2024-25 school year),” said Campbell. “We weren’t expecting a big jump in enrollment, and we also were hopeful that we weren’t going to see a drop-off and we didn’t, we’re right where we were last year,” he said.
Student attendance increased in younger students, with early Pre-K enrollment numbers projected to be at over 700 students. Attendance at Morgantown High School and University High School maintained steady enrollment numbers, with MHS projected to have over 1,800 students enrolled this year, which would place them among the top five high schools in West Virginia in terms of enrollment. Middle school enrollments were also steady in comparison to last year, but trends for schools around the Cheat Lake area and other growing parts of the county continued to show increases in enrollment that have been maintained over the past couple of years. This includes the need for two kindergarten classes at Brookhaven Elementary School and the use of extra space accounted for in prior school system projects.
“We continue to see strong enrollments in the Cheat Lake area, at Eastwood (Middle School), at Mountain View (Elementary School), at North (Elementary), and at Suncrest (Middle School),” said Talerico regarding where enrollment increases stood out. “Especially at Ridgedale (Elementary), where we, two years ago, added more classrooms,” she said.
Talerico also noted that despite the steady enrollment numbers, the number of students reported in schools at the western end of the county has continued to show a steady decline. This includes an over 300 student enrollment decline for Clay Battelle Middle and High School, declines in enrollment at Mason Dixon Elementary School in Blacksville, and at Westwood Middle School. This decline reflects a multi-year trend that reflects a county population shift away from the western part of Monongalia County.
“We have been seeing a decline in the western area over the last five to seven years,” said Talerico. “And each year, it seems to decline a little more and a little more,” she said.
While the negative trend in enrollment numbers continues in the western end of the county, the BOE and the county school officials plan to continue to keep an eye on developments regarding future programming. This will coincide with continued support for the rest of the schools in the county, which include the most populated high school in the Mountain State and some of the highest populated middle schools (South Middle School) and elementary schools (Eastwood Elementary) statewide. As the Monongalia County School System gets into the full swing of the regular school year, officials plan to continue to plan and help support any ways to create the best learning environment possible.
“It’s just something that we have to keep an eye on, but we’re still going to provide an excellent educational opportunity for those kids out there,” said Campbell. “Educational opportunities are not going to change in any way,” he said.
A final enrollment count is expected to be completed when Pre-K student counts are completed next week.