Kindergarten enrollment at Tuscan School and Clinton School has surpassed capacity, prompting school district officials to expand each kindergarten class at those schools by one.

"We have filled all of the kindergarten slots at Tuscan School and Clinton School, enrollment there has exceeded our projections," said Brian Osborne, superintendent of the South Orange-Maplewood School District. "We will work with any newly registered families in placing any new students in kindergarten."

The enrollment for kindergarten at Tuscan, originally projected at 87, is 115 as of Aug. 18. That means the five kindergarten classes there will have 23 students each, one more than the 22-limit set by district policy.

At Clinton, which had projected 64 kindergarten students, 92 have enrolled. Its four classes will also have 23 students each.

Osborne said no kindergarten students have been turned away from Tuscan or Clinton so far.

At this point, more students can register at any of the schools, up to the first day of school on Sept. 3, Osborne said. If any new students seek to enroll in kindergarten at Tuscan or Clinton, they will likely be required to attend a different school.

"We have to stop the enrollment at that [23] number," Osborne said. "We will be over by one in each class, we will have to look at another school for space if more [kindergarten] students enroll."

With two weeks left until the first day of school, the likelihood of more students enrolling for kindergarten is slim, but not unheard of. Osborne said the district's other elementary schools are not at capacity and would be able to handle more students.

The increased kindergarten population comes as the SO-M District institutes all-day kindergarten for the first time in every class. Prior to this coming school year, all-day kindergarten was only available in a limited number of classes.

Overall, the district's kindergarten population has grown by just three over last year, from 493 to 496. Of those in last year's group, 385 were in full-day, 108 were in half-day.

The impact on classes is obviously due to the all-day program going district-wide

"Given this is the first year of full-day kindergarten, it is hard to
project," Osborne said.