Moorhead Area Public Schools had 7,466 students in grades K-12 enrolled for the first day of school on August 26. The 2024-25 school year’s opening enrollment is 118 students more than last year’s opening enrollment. The enrollment numbers do not include preschool students. The new Kindergarten class has 553 students. The district’s largest class is the second grade at 629 students. The eighth grade class is the smallest at 515 students. The number of students in the district will fluctuate over the next few weeks before stabilizing in October and November, according to historical trends.
The current 2024-25 school year enrollment figures represent record enrollment and show a return to the trend of increasing enrollment in the district. Opening enrollment for the 2023-24 school year was 7,348; 2022-23 school year was 7,427: 2021-22 school year was 7,336; 2020-21 school year was 7,153 and the 2019-20 school year was 7,087.
“We are pleased to welcome all of our students back to school,” said Dr. Brandon Lunak, Superintendent. “We started school before Labor Day to accommodate the Moorhead High School phase two construction project.” Students moved into phase one of the Moorhead High School in January, 2024. Phase two of the project includes a theater, music and performing arts spaces and administration areas as well as an additional parking lot and is scheduled to open in phases during the 2025-26 school year.
To support the growing student body, the district is seeking to pass a capital projects levy in November that will provide essential funding for curriculum investments, facility improvements, technology enhancements and transportation updates to benefit student learning.