The Northwest Catholic District School Board is pleased with the higher-than-expected early enrollment figures for this school year.

Actual enrollment has exceeded the Board’s projections.

Superintendent of Education Jennifer McMaster notes that Atikokan’s St. Patrick’s School has experienced the most significant shift in recent years.

“When you look at those class sizes from kindergarten to the grade three, four classes, we are seeing a real positive shift that I think needs to be acknowledged in that building,” says McMaster.

McMaster expects the numbers to hold as students age toward high school, especially at St. Patrick’s.

“We don’t see a lot of students leaving St. Patrick’s School typically. I think what we’ve seen is an increase in the number of students choosing St. Patrick’s School over the last few years, which is why we see those strong numbers in our primary division.”

McMaster says the class sizes and enrollment numbers are pretty steady across our other schools this year.

The Board has been able to handle the increase in students.

McMaster says they do have two permanent staffing positions to fill, one at St. Mary School in Fort Frances and one at Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout.