It was an exciting start to the 2024-25 school year when students were welcomed with open arms by the Perham Public Schools Staff on Sept. 3 for the first official day of school. Perham Public Schools Superintendent Mitch Anderson was pleased with the first day.

“There was a lot of excitement in every building and teachers were excited to welcome students back to their classrooms for the start of a new school year,” Anderson said.

Anderson reported that first day enrollment was slightly higher than the projected enrollment for 2024-25, as well as the ending enrollment for 2023-24. Overall, the beginning enrollment is 1,617 students, compared to the projected enrollment of 1,610 and the ending enrollment of 1,600.

Overall, Heart of the Lakes Elementary school saw the biggest overall decrease with 31 less students than the year prior. This year’s first grade class and fourth grade enrollment dropped a total of four students in each class, while the second grade and third grade saw a slight increase in student enrollment. Overall, kindergarten enrollment is down 11 from the original projected enrollment. Overall, enrollment is down 14 from the projected enrollment number at the elementary school with 534 total students.

Prairie Wind Middle School remained steady overall with 538 total students enrolled compared to 534 at the close of 2023-24. The biggest increase came in the seventh grade house with 20 more students. The total enrollment at the middle school is 538, which is nine over the projected enrollment total of 529.

Perham High School saw the biggest leap in enrollment with 44 new students for a total enrollment of 545 students. The senior class saw an increase of five students, while the ninth grade class saw an increase of four students. Overall, the enrollment at the high school sits at 545, which was 12 more than the projected enrollment for 2024-25.

Anderson noted the increase in students in eight grade levels and a slight decrease in four grade levels. However, the numbers continue to remain positive for Perham Public Schools. He noted the numbers will fluctuate over the first few weeks of the school year, yet they are trending in a positive direction.