Enrollment Growth Doesn't Affect Whitefish Bay Class Sizes

The Whitefish Bay School District has been able to maintain small class sizes despite 54 new students entering the district this year.

According to new enrollment figures presented at a School Board meeting last week, the district is educating 23 more kids at Cumberland School, 22 fewer kids at Richards School, six more students at Whitefish Bay Middle School and 47 more students at Whitefish Bay High School.

In total, 3,080 students are attending Whitefish Bay schools this year: 716 students at Cumberland, 717 students at Richards, 652 students at Whitefish Bay Middle School and 995 students at Whitefish Bay High School.

According to the enrollment report, Cumberland has 62 Chapter 220 students; Richards has 58 Chapter 220 students and six open enrollment students; the middle school has 51 Chapter 220 students and 18 open enrollment students; and the high school has 47 Chapter 220 students and 49 open enrollment students.

The report also shows that 41 Whitefish Bay residents chose to attend schools outside of the public district, including 20 who open enrolled into another district, one Chapter 220 student, two tuition waivers and 18 special education students, 15 of which are early childhood students.

Whitefish Bay Superintendent Mary Gavigan said Whitefish Bay schools still have "small and very reasonable class sizes" despite the growth in enrollment.

"Enrollment continues to increase and is increasing at a slow and steady rate, which is positive," she said.

In the high school, average class sizes include 19 students in art classes, 25 students for computers and social studies and 27 students for physical education.

The average class sizes at Whitefish Bay Middle School range from 17 students to 26 students, with the exception of a sixth-grade advanced math class with only 13 students.