The 2011-12 student count day Oct. 5 was good news to Goodrich officials after earlier predictions of a 40-student decline.

In the fall student count Goodrich has 2,145 students, nine more than the count of 2,136 in 2010. In the Goodrich District, Reid Elementary (K-2) suffered the greatest decline, going from 398 students in 2010 to 380 in 2011. Oaktree Elementary (grades 3-5) increased from 455 in 2010 to 460 students in 2011. The middle school also posted a gain from 544 students in 2010 to 557 in 2011. The enrollment at Goodrich High School jumped from 739 in 2010 to 748 in 2011.

Goodrich receives $6,846 per student.

The fall count day is worth 90 percent of state aid, rather than 75 percent as in previous years. A February count day will be 10 percent rather than 25 percent as before.

The reason for the change in the count day formula, say state officials, comes after research indicated as student enrollment drops statewide, the state was paying for students counted in the spring who were no longer enrolled in the fall.

Schools of choice enrollment jumped from 80 in 2010 to 116 in 2011. In December 2010, school officials announced that schools of choice enrollment in the district will be halted for the second semester beginning in January 2011 due to rising class sizes.

Last year the school board voted 4-3 to join the state’s schools of choice program for the 2010-2011 school year. The board voted out of the Genesee County program. By opting into the state’s schools of choice program, the district joins the Fenton School District in opening up enrollment to students from other districts, which allows an unlimited influx of students from outside the district.

“The schools of choice numbers have increased significantly’those students coming into the district help offset a lower kindergarten class of only 118. We had 186 students graduate in 2010,” said John Fazer, Goodrich School District superintendent. “The board will analyze the data and evaluate the schools of choice to determine the impact on class size.”

Fazer said that in August the district added an extra kindergarten, first/second split teacher, and fourth/fifth teacher along with an additional middle school instructor. In addition, six sections were added at the high school.

“We had budgeted for 40 less students,” said Fazer. “Then we anticipated additional students coming in the district and reinvested the revenue into smaller class size. However, we still are drawing about a million (dollars) from the fund balance.”