Benson schools’ enrollment expected to be just over 800

Benson Schools’ enrollment for the 2014-2015 school year is just over 800 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.  That number does not include the students in Heartland Girls Ranch, the Chippewa River Day Program, and the Area Learning Center, which has another 50 students enrolled to start the school year.
The Benson schools’ total includes 372 students in grades 7-12 for an average of 62 students per grade, while the enrollment in kindergarten through 6th grade is 431 students, or an average of just over 61.5 students per grade.
Grade 9 has the lowest enrollment number with 53 students, but 2nd grade (54), 4th grade (55), 8th grade (56), 5th grade (57), 3rd grade (59), and 11th grade (59) are also all in the 50s.
The 6th grade class leads the way in enrollment with 76 students for the 2014-2015 school year, while the 12th grade (72) and 10th grade (71) also have over 70 students.  
Two of the three largest classes will be graduating in the next three years, meaning enrollment numbers at Benson Schools will probably continue to go down, although the kindergarten (62 students) and 1st grade (68) numbers do give the school district a ray of hope that numbers will at least stay relatively stable.