Enrollment projections are being explained by the Northwest Catholic District School Board.
The projections are made at the start of every year for budget reasons.
Superintendent of Business Laura Mills says they typically they will underestimate those numbers.
“We can not lay off staff in September when the students actually so up. So it is easier to add staff if more students arrive,” says Mills.
Mills says looking at the last four years, the actual enrolments have been 2 to 3 per cent either way off of the projections.
Student enrollment is still holding fairly stable.
There has been one noticeable difference.
“The board is starting to see a trend in a decrease in enrollment in grades 7 and 8 from projections. And these are students who are leaving our board,” says Mills.
Mills says many factors impact enrollment, so making predictions for the future can be challenging.
