School Attendance Up 16,486 Over Last Year

Attendance during the first week of school in the Los Angeles Unified School District was up by 16,486 over last year’s opening tally, district officials reported this week. Almost 581,000 students enrolled in the district’s 650 schools during the first four days of the fall semester, which began Sept. 11.

District officials expect nearly 45,000 more students--mostly late arrivals--to sign up before the official pupil count is taken during the fourth week of school. Each year, during the first month of school enrollment generally increases beyond the first week tally by from 38,000 to 46,000 students.

Kindergarten showed the most growth, with enrollment rising nearly 7%, from 41,863 last year to 44,738 this year. Junior high and high school enrollment grew by only about 2%.