A projected 45,873 students will attend Marion County Public Schools on Monday, representing the highest enrollment ever and nearly 1,400 more than last year.
Students across the area will return to classes on August 12. According to the district, the enrollment is “likely to be the biggest” in the 155-year history of MCPS.
According to MCPS, there are 21,921 elementary, 10,305 middle, and 13,647 high school students enrolled for the upcoming school year.
Most of the schools across the district will have different start and stop times this year, as bell times have been adjusted to “foster more on-time arrivals for school buses,” according to the district. Currently, MCPS will offer around 250 bus routes on opening day for approximately 34,000 students eligible to ride the bus.
The vast majority of elementary schools (27) will now start classes at 7:35 a.m. and will end at 2:10 p.m. Only four elementary schools will have different start and stop times: Dr. N.H. Jones will start at 7:45 a.m. and end at 2:05 p.m., while Fordham Early Learning Academy, Fort McCoy K-8, and Madison Street Academy will all start at 8 a.m. Fordham and Madison will end at 2:20 p.m. and Fort McCoy K-8 will have its afternoon bell at 2:35 p.m.
All middle schools in the county (except Fort McCoy) will start at 9:20 a.m. Most will end at 4:11 p.m., with two exceptions: Dunnellon High School and Osceola High School will both end at 3:55 p.m.
Most high schools in the area will open at 8:30 a.m., with two exceptions: Lake Weir will open at 8:35 a.m., and Hillcrest will open at 9:05 a.m. Every high school in Marion County will end classes at 3 p.m., except for Lake Weir, which will end them 3:45 p.m.
The new “triple-tiered approach” will allow buses to transport elementary students first, followed by separate runs for middle and high school students, according to the district.
“With more than 7.1 million square feet of space to manage, custodial crews have waxed floors, cleaned classrooms, and readied restrooms for the first day of school. Technical crews installed new flooring, replaced roofing surfaces, cleaned and inspected over 3,800 air conditioners and dozens of generators to ensure they’re all running smoothly to cool things off given the current summer heat. Painters, electricians, and plumbers have also been busy,” reads a statement from the district.
On Friday morning, the district says crews discovered a waterline break at Sunrise Elementary and were “working to complete repairs by opening day.”
Thirteen schools across the county have different principals this year, including at least two first-time principals at Dunnellon Elementary (Erika Wiggins) and Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks (Rebekah Cook).
As of Friday, the district says it employs over 6,400 individuals, with 47% of those employees offering instructional services.
The district says it will continue “emphasizing daily attendance” at schools this year with a special “Be Present, Be Powerful” attendance campaign kicking off in September. The district says it hopes to “educate students, families, and the community about the connection between school attendance and realizing personal hopes and dreams, well-being and achievement.”