The kindergarten count is climbing in Powell schools, to the point where an additional class may be added to handle the influx of young students this year.

During kindergarten screenings last spring, about 128 kids were registered. By Aug. 15, that number swelled to 141, then it rose to 148 last week.

Additional staff may be hired to help accommodate the increase in students.

“Right now, we’re making the move to increase para[educator] support for our larger-than-normal kindergarten class sizes,” said Jay Curtis, superintendent of Park County School District No. 1.

Students started school Monday, and Curtis said district leaders will look at how many kindergarteners they have before deciding whether to add another class, since some students may not show up.

“We don’t know how the dust will settle,” Curtis said last week.

But if the kindergarten count grows by many more students, an additional class will be added at Parkside Elementary School, he said.

“We walked through all three schools [Thursday] morning to find the space, and Parkside seems to be the path of least resistance,” Curtis said.

As the smallest school, Parkside has about 200 kids. Southside is at a little over 300 while Westside is the biggest with around 322 kids, Curtis said.

Both Southside and Westside have three sections for each grade level: three kindergarten classes, three first-grade classes, etc. Meanwhile, Parkside is a two-section school, with only two classes per grade level. If a kindergarten class is added there, it will be the only three-section grade at Parkside.

With the school year underway, there isn’t time to advertise for a new kindergarten teacher, Curtis said. The good news, he said, is that a couple of paraeducators in the elementary schools are certified teachers; one of them would likely be transferred into the new teaching position if a kindergarten class is added.

While district leaders expected an increase in kindergartners this year, this level was unexpected, Curtis said.

“What’s odd is that no one else I’ve talked to in the [Big Horn] Basin is experiencing this,” he said.

Powell’s enrollment has consistently climbed in recent years while schools in surrounding communities have seen their numbers dip. While it creates some challenges — such as where to put all the new kindergartners — Powell leaders welcome the issues that an increasing enrollment brings.

“It’s the best problem to have,” said Superintendent Curtis. “The fact that people want to bring their kids to Powell is a blessing.”

Overall, the district has 1,842 students currently enrolled — down slightly from the 1,858 pupils around this point last year — but that number is expected to fluctuate as new students register and others don’t show up.

At an estimated 148 kids, this year’s kindergarten isn’t the largest class for Powell schools. That distinction belongs to the eighth-grade, with 160 kids. Meanwhile, 150 ninth-graders are beginning at Powell High School.

Big classes have made things tight at both the middle school and high school in recent years.

“They’re kind of straining a little bit,” Curtis said.

The high school is expected to have one more year of growth next year; around 143 seniors will graduate in 2020 while the incoming freshman class next fall is estimated at 160 students.

As those larger classes graduate, “it should level out a little bit,” Curtis said.