Official first-month enrollment

figures for Fayette County Schools have exceeded projections by nearly

250 students, an unexpected growth spurt that reflected no trends, said

Superintendent John DeCotis.

As of Sept. 8, the 20-day mark

of the school term, there were 21,239 students in all grades, kindergarten

through 12, enrolled in 30 Fayette County schools, according to information

from the district offices.

That's 248 more students

than DeCotis had projected for the start of the term, based on long-term

trends and housing starts, though he said Fayette County's student

growth patterns really defy traditional norms.

"That's about what

we expected," he said. "We usually find that our growth happens

from fall to fall, or spring to spring throughout the school year. We

have historically not seen a lot of growth from spring to fall, during

the summer months when you usually think of people moving and buying houses."

Fayette County economics and

demographics reflect professional, stable families that are more inclined

to move when necessary, not just in summer, and then stay put once they

do.

Still, there were some surprises:

Sandy Creek High enrolled about 100 more than last year at this time,

which reflects a boom in new housing developments in the Tyrone area,

DecCotis said.

Sandy Creek, off Jenkins Road

just north of Tyrone, showed 1,303 students last month, the largest student

body in years but still shy of the school's 1,500 capacity, which

it has never reached since opening in 1991.

There was more significant

movement in the elementary grades, DeCotis said, pointing out that the

new Crabapple Elementary in north Peachtree City saw 60 more students

show up than the 411 predicted.

Another jump occured at Sara

Harp Minter Elementary, which welcomed 709 students, nearly 100 more than

projected. But many of those likely were transfers from Peeple's

Elementary, located down Ga. Highway 85 at the Starr's Mill Complex.

Peeple's enrolled 787 students this year, significantly fewer than

the 833 anticipated.

"I think that's the

only area you may have seen notable changes," said DeCotis. "Other

than the the elementary numbers, every school is similar to what we were

last spring."

The reason, again said DeCotis,

is one of economics: "A lot of times what famlies will do when they

have kids in the high schools and get a job transfer, they'll leave

the kids here with a guardian and let them finish their junior and senior

years."

Partially because of that,

Fayette County's enrollment is actually top heavy, reflecting larger

than average classes in the high schools, and why Fayette County has seen

the need to build new high schools faster than neighboring counties like

Coweta.

Coweta has a population of

105,000, slightly larger than Fayette overall, but has just three high

schools, with no immediate plans to build a fourth.

Fayette County, with an estimated

100,000 residents, just opened its fifth high school, Whitewater, and

has bought land to open a sixth in a few years in the center of the county.