Kennewick schools gain 455 more students

About 455 more students showed up in Kennewick classrooms this week than last year.

In all, the Kennewick School District tallied more than 18,000 students in an unofficial count on Wednesday.

The district was expecting an increase this year but not 350 more students than it budgeted for.

The official headcount won’t take place until October.

Last Friday, Pasco and Richland schools reported their initial enrollment was up by more than 600 total in the two districts and more were expected to join classes this week.

Robyn Chastain, spokeswoman for Kennewick schools, cautioned that September figures are in flux. But she noted the growth tended to show up at the middle and high school levels more than in elementaries.

The district tallied 8,529 students at its 15 elementary schools, 4,107 at its six middle schools, and 5,380 in its various high school programs.

Cottonwood Elementary in western Kennewick was the district’s fastest-growing elementary, gaining 47 students for a district-leading total of 755.

Chinook Middle School gained 97 students for a total of 885.

Southridge, Kennewick and Kamiakin high schools are within 100 students of one another and range from 1,693 (Southridge) to 1,766 (Kamiakin).

Kennewick High is the fastest-growing high school with the addition of 96 students.

An additional 812 students are enrolled in Kennewick’s Mid-Columbia Parent Partnership and Tri-Tech Skills Center, bringing total enrollment to 18,828.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Kennewick schools gain 455 more students."