Kindergarten classes at two of Watertown’s three elementary schools are close to full, and school officials will put enrollment for kindergarten at those schools on hold.
Monday night, Interim Superintendent John Brackett told the School Committee that enrollment projections at Hosmer and Cunniff elementary schools show that the classes could be on the top end of the class size guidelines.
“We want to make sure we don’t get caught short on enrollment and class size,” Brackett said. “We are most closely following kindergarten projections, which are up quite considerably.”
At Hosmer the current projection is 112 kindergartners, Brackett said, which would mean 6 classes of 18 or 19 students. At Cunniff, the number of kindergartners is projected to be 57. With three sections that would mean classes of 19 children.
“We have gone into hold mode,” Brackett said. “If we get additional registrations, if their home school is one of those two schools we can’t guarantee that will be the school they will attend next year.”
The district now has a central enrollment office, which was created after some classes became overcrowded last year due to mid-year enrollment.
Brackett noted that the enrollment could well change, especially if students enrolled in January chose not to attend the Watertown Public Schools.
School administrators are also keeping an eye on other grades at particular schools, Brackett said.
“We are watching closely the fourth grade at Cunniff, fifth grade at Hosmer and another one we are watching is fourth grade at Lowell,” Brackett said. “All three are not at the point where we need to take action, but we certainly need to watch them.”