PLACENTIA YORBA LINDA : Attendance at District Schools Up

First-day attendance in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District was up 750 students from last year to 22,400, and both El Dorado and Esperanza high schools reported record numbers of freshmen this year.

It’s the second successive year the two high schools have seen significant increases in the number of freshmen registering for classes.

At El Dorado, freshmen account for slightly less than one-third of the total student body of 1,700. Typically, the school has about 350 freshman on the first day of classes, but on Tuesday 524 showed up. Last year’s freshman class numbered about 500.

School officials estimate that much of the increase at El Dorado is a result of legislation several years ago that transferred a section of Yorba Linda from the Troy High School attendance area to El Dorado’s attendance area.

Freshmen also registered in record numbers at Esperanza High School, where 2,644 students showed up on the first day of school. The class of 1998 now numbers nearly 750, with more freshmen registering this week. Last year’s freshman class was under 700 students.

While some of the increase in district attendance can be attributed to population growth, Supt. James O. Fleming said the increase may also be due in part to the district’s late start date. “When you start late, more kids show up on the first day of school,” Fleming said.