Four out of five students in Oak Ridge Schools are attending classes in person at least two days per week, while one out of five have registered for an online-only option as the school system and families respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are the enrollment numbers for all of the schools on Friday:
- On-campus classes: 3,695 (about 79 percent of total enrollment)
- The online-only option, ConnectOR: 963 (about 21 percent)
The school system was showing a total enrollment of 4,658 on Friday, but Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said it is too early to tell what the actual enrollment is.
“We should have a solid number in a couple of weeks,” he said.
It’s not clear how many families have selected a home school option during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The school system offered two options for the new school year, which started Wednesday and Thursday, depending upon the school.
The first option was for classes five days a week at the preschool and four elementary schools, and a mix of in-person classes and online instruction at the two middle schools and high school. Middle school and high school students who have selected this first option, a hybrid, are attending classes two days a week and will have online instruction the other three days. Half of the students at the middle schools and high school are attending on Mondays and Thursdays, while the other half are attending on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The second option this school year was ConnectOR, the online-only option.
In-person enrollment at the four elementary schools—Glenwood, Linden, Willow Brook, and Woodland—was about 78 percent overall. Online enrollment was highest, about 25 percent, among Woodland Elementary School students, and lowest, about 19 percent, among Willow Brook Elementary School students.
In-person enrollment at the two middle schools—Jefferson and Robertsville—was about 77 percent. ConnectOR enrollment was about 25 percent at Jefferson Middle School and roughly 21 percent at Robertsville.
Enrollment in ConnectOR was lowest at the high school/Secret City Academy. In-person registration there was about 83 percent, while about 17 percent of students were signed up for ConnectOR.
These were the enrollment counts on Friday, July 31:
| School | ConnectOR Enrollment | On Campus | Total Enrollment |
| Glenwood | 85 | 312 | 397 |
| Linden | 95 | 347 | 442 |
| Willow Brook | 70 | 289 | 359 |
| Woodland | 104 | 316 | 420 |
| Elementary Subtotal | 354 | 1,264 | 1,618 |
| Jefferson | 184 | 554 | 738 |
| Robertsville | 157 | 575 | 732 |
| Middle School Subtotal | 341 | 1,129 | 1,470 |
| Oak Ridge High School/SCA | 268 | 1,302 | 1,570 |
| TOTAL ELEMENTARY | 354 | 1,264 | 1,618 |
| TOTAL MIDDLE | 341 | 1,129 | 1,470 |
| TOTAL HIGH/SCA | 268 | 1,302 | 1,570 |
| TOTAL ALL GRADES | 963 | 3,695 | 4,658 |
The state is currently basing its funding on average daily membership, or ADM. It is not affected by ConnectOR enrollment, Borchers said. ConnectOR Students are still registered and receiving their education for Oak Ridge Schools.
With the staggered schedules at the middle schools and high school, Borchers said the school system will monitor students to confirm that they are online and engaged in learning.
“This documentation will allow us to mark students verified to be engaged in learning present on the days they are assigned to work from home,” he said.
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