Parents lined up recently to register their students for kindergarten, an end-of-year tradition that typically draws many parents.
But school officials were happy to see that it drew many more parents than expected, especially out-of-district parents.
We had more than ever, Dolores Elementary School Principal Sherri Maxwell said.
In total, 43 students were registered for kindergarten, 20 of those students lived out of the district.
Thats nearly 50 percent, Maxwell said.
Typically, the out-of-district transfer students, mainly from Cortez, hovers around the 25 percent mark in the district, a high number, but not nearly as high as the number of kindergartners this time.
There will likely be more students added to the kindergarten list starting at the beginning of the school year, so Maxwell is already talking about adding an additional teacher at that level.
Maxwell said she isnt too surprised about the influx of out-of-district students. This year, the school district was accredited with distinction, placing the school in the top 10 percent of schools statewide.
I believe its because we have a quality kindergarten and a quality school, she said.
Offering all-day kindergarten is another draw for parents.
And our kindergarten teachers have developed a phenomenal program and work well together, Maxwell said.