PENDLETON – Early figures show a slight drop in enrollment for the Pendleton School District compared to the previous year. Assistant Superintendent Tricia Baker presented the numbers during a special school board meeting Monday.

As of this week, the entire district has enrolled 3,155 students for the 2009-10 school year, Baker said. That’s 17 more than it finished with last year, but more than 100 fewer than the beginning of the 2008-09 year.

The biggest drops so far are at the elementary level, according to the early numbers. The K-5 student count of 1,468 is 34 less than the end of last year, and 53 less than the start of 2008-09. Both middle school and high school levels show gains from the end of last year – but school districts typically see their numbers gradually decline throughout the school year.

Pendleton’s first day of school is Monday, Aug. 31. Baker noted the figures are likely to fluctuate between now and then.

– Eric Florip