DIXFIELD – Enrollments at SAD 21’s four schools serving Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru have increased slightly over last year’s numbers.
As of Tuesday, the district had 1,043 students, 10 more than last year, said Superintendent Thomas Ward.
But, Dirigo High School gained 30 unanticipated students, boosting enrollment to 400.
“We didn’t expect these additional students, but that’s a good problem to have, because you want your enrollments up, because enrollment is money,” Ward said Tuesday.
“We can deal with the problems” of accommodating them, he added.
Enrollments at the district’s other three facilities are:
• 221, Dixfield Elementary School.
• 144, Peru Elementary School.
• 278, T.W. Kelly Dirigo Middle School.
Numbers at both Peru Elementary and Dirigo Middle schools reflect the merging of Canton Elementary School students and Peru middle-schoolers.
“We’ve had an exceptional start with a very positive upbeat, and the Canton kids at Peru and their parents are really enjoying it,” Ward said.
The district also added 17 new employees due to retirements and people relocating to other states.
“That’s much higher than we’re used to,” he added.
New hires include Sherry Pillsbury as part-time educational technician II in the special education department at Dixfield Elementary, and Terri Irish as a part-time food service employee.
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