Preliminary Headcount Shows Slight Enrollment Increase at Birmingham Schools

The 2012-13 school year is shaping up to be a little more crowded than usual at .

Birmingham Superintendent Daniel Nerad said the preliminary headcount for fall 2012 was 8,390 students — up from 8,318 in fall 2011 and 8,388 in February.

This isn't the official fall headcount, Nerad said — that count won't be available until late October. Fall headcount happens on Oct. 3; the number of students present that day will help determine the level of funding Birmingham receives from the state.

According to Nerad, that increase in enrollment is evident across the board. On Tuesday, Nerad also reported:

• 550 students were enrolled in full-day kindergarten in 2012-13, the first year the district is only offering full-day kindergarten. Last year, the district had 507 students enrolled in district kindergarten programs.
• Seven Birmingham students and two Bloomfield Hills students are enrolled in the district's cooperative half-day program at .
• and elementaries saw some of the biggest jumps in enrollment. Quarton has 50 more students this year while Beverly has 90 new students.
• There are around 2,700 students enrolled at Birmingham's two high schools, and .

Nerad said speaking with building principals and secretaries, the consensus is the same: "Its feels up."

"I think this speaks to the interest people have in the education of this school district," Nerad said. "But it does create some strains and stresses. At another time, we will need to talk about those strains and stresses."