By Geoff Smith (@smithco)

Slight enrolment decrease at Palliser Regional Schools

Sep 22, 2016 | 12:26 PM

LETHBRIDGE — Palliser Regional Schools is seeing increases in some rural areas, even though overall enrolment is down a little.
 
Official numbers won’t be in until Sept. 30. But as of this week, 71 fewer students are enrolled across the division.
 
“We’re looking not too badly,” Dr. Garry Andrews, acting superintendent, said in an interview. “We’re down a slight bit from what we projected. But overall we’re holding our own. And in particular, the community schools in our rural communities are doing okay. We were concerned of course that rural depopulation is a factor in all of the province. And we’re holding our own there.”
 
In particular, Andrews cites schools in Nobleford and Coaldale, along with Brant Christian School which are exceeding projections for enrolment. On the other hand, there are decreases in the Calgary area.
 
“Because of the dependency on the oil industry Calgary is feeling the brunt of that I think. So as a result we think that some of the students in some of the schools in Calgary, families are just moving,” he said. In addition, more students are expected to return to Calgary Islamic School now that a religious holiday has just ended.
 
The current number for enrolment across the division is 8,170, which is 53 lower than projections. One number not counted in the totals is 21 Brazilian students attending four rural high schools. Andrews says Palliser Regional Schools feels good about the international program.