Enrollment in South Summit is just as anticipated

South Summit School District Superintendent Tim Smith said he would like to see enrollment reach 1,400 students.

The district ended last year with 1,346 students. Enrollment for this year is currently 1,386.

“We’ve had a small increase for a couple of years and so we expect it to go up a little bit,” Smith said.

He attributes the growth to people relocating to the area, but does not anticipate enrollment numbers will fluctuate in the coming months.

“I’m anticipating that we will remain right around 1,386,” he said.

This allows for a 23:1 student to teacher ratio.

While his goal is to see the district enrollment reach 1,400 students this may not happen if property values continue to increase.

“If the cost of housing continues to climb I would say we will not get more students, we will lose some,” Smith said.

He reported the average cost of a house in Kamas Valley is $386,000.

“Families with children, unless they are independently wealthy, have a hard time moving into the valley,” he said.

The growth patterns for this year have not had an adverse affect on the district’s budget.

“I would just think that it’s not that big of a growth pattern. It’s nice to be small enough to where it doesn’t effect you negative ways,” he said.