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Enrollment for Stanly County Schools is down roughly 78 students this year. This is according to average daily membership data for October for this school year compared to the same month last school year. 

Data for the 2018-2019 school year had enrollment at 8,388 students, while the current enrollment number is 8,310.

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, average daily membership is defined as “the total number of school days within a given term – usually a school month or school year – that a student’s name is on the current roll of a class, regardless of his/her being present or absent.”

Enrollment has increased in only four of the 11 elementary schools. Those schools are largely located in the western part of the county. Aquadale is up 15 students, Endy increased by 14 students, Locust is up by seven and Stanfield increased by 11. The largest decrease was East Albemarle, which lost 32 students. 

While only a few elementary schools experienced enrollment increases, all four middle schools saw their enrollment increase. The largest were West Stanly, which increased by 39 students, and Albemarle, which increased 22 students, followed by South Stanly, which increased nine students, and North, which increased by one student. 

Each of the four traditional high schools experienced enrollment decreases. Albemarle lost 79 students, West Stanly lost 52, South Stanly lost 32 and North Stanly lost eight.

One reason for the decrease in enrollment is because the high school’s 2018-2019 graduating classes were bigger than the incoming freshmen classes that arrived this school year. West Stanly High, for example, had 222 seniors last year while West Stanly Middle had 179 eighth graders. 

Enrollment for Stanly County Virtual Education, which is for homeschool students, increased from 15 students to 40, while enrollment for the Stanly Academy Learning Center increased from 48 to 57 students. 

According to the most recent audit report, presented at the last school board meeting, student enrollment increased by 123 students from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019.