Yorkville School District Y115 started new school year with 263 more students; enrollment now just under 7,000

Yorkville School District Y115 kindergarten teacher Cody Pynenberg meets her Circle Center Grade School students on the first day of classes Aug. 25, 2022.

YORKVILLE – Enrollment in Yorkville School District Y115 continues to climb and is approaching 7,000 students.

Sixth day enrollment figures show 6,947 students registered for classes at the district’s 11 school buildings, an increase of 263 over last year.

School Superintendent Tim Shimp told the Yorkville School Board on Sept. 26 that the district is expected to add another 1,500 students over the next decade.

Shimp said one significant driver of the increased enrollment this year comes from Yorkville Middle School.

The middle school added 53 students, bringing the total number of seventh- and eighth-graders in the district to 1,102.

Shimp also pointed to notable increases in the number of kindergarten and first-grade students.

Last year, the district started school with 418 kindergarteners. This year that same class of students is beginning first grade and has expanded to 502, suggesting that more families are moving in the district.

Meanwhile, this year’s crop of kindergarteners is up by 29 students, for a total of 447.

Another enrollment bump was registered at the district’s new Early Childhood Center, with an increase of 40 youngsters bringing the total to 185.

The district purchased and renovated a private preschool building and consolidated its early childhood program, which previously was spread out among several grade schools.

Some grade school levels were down slightly and enrollment at Yorkville High School was essentially flat, with an increase of one student over last year, bringing total enrollment to 2,066.

The freshman class at Yorkville Academy was down by six, for a total of 531, while the senior class at the main campus also registered a decrease of 36, for a total of 480.

However, the high school sophomore and junior classes made slight gains, for totals of 543 and 512, respectively.

Enrollment gains were seen at Yorkville Intermediate School, with the fourth- through six-grade center now totaling 753 students, as well as Grande Reserve Elementary School which now stands at 614.

Bristol Bay Elementary School saw an increase of 36 students, bringing the total to 626.

Three grade schools and one elementary school saw minor enrollment drops.

Bristol Grade School now has 181 students, Circle Center Grade School has 503 registered and Yorkville Grade School started the year with 182. Autumn Creek Elementary School has 667 students to begin the 2022-23 year.