Evening star., 1925-09-21
SCHOOLS SWAMPED
BY RUSH OF PUPILS
Record Turnout for First Day
Indicates Congestion to
Be Worse.

Faced with another year of conges-
ton, part time classes, stuffy porta-
bles and other undesirable conditions,
the public school children of the Dis
trict returned to their classes today
for the 1925-1926 term.
The great public educational plant
started to function promptly at 3
o'clock as steady streams of children
poured into the buildings, fresh from
a three-month Summer vacation.
Only the usual confusion due to the
inevitable shifting and transferring of
pupils marked the beginning Of the
new term.
Although the officials were without
figures at noon today as to the num-
ber of children who enrolled, they are
confident that the enrolment will be
a record breaker for the first day of
school. Fair weather, they pointed
out. ALWAYS contributes its share to a
large opening day enrolment.
More Than $4,000 Estimated.
Conservatively, the officials estimate
that the enrolment today will pass
the so. 900 mark. This figure is based
on last years opening day enrolment
of 59.625, coupled with the normal
annual increase and ideal weather.
BY o'clock this afternoon the ad-
nlinistration headquarters OF the
school system expects to have an ac-
curate count of the number of pupils
enrolled. The supervising principals
have been instructed to make their
returns to headquarters as soon as
possible this afternoon.
ever, will be of little value to the Of
t1cials in determining the increase
over last year. A steady increase Is
anticipated for about a month, but by
October l Supt. Ballou and his corps
of assistants believe they will be in
a position to calculate accurately the
gain in enrolment.
A net increase Of 1000 pupils is con-
f1dently expected by the authorities.
The major portion Of this gain will
be distributed among the elementary
schools, where congestion is destined
to be more serious than last year,
when the peak enrolment passed the
$1,000 mark. Seventy-six portables
had to be used during the last term,
and 129 part-time classes created, to
accommodate the overflow, and ar
rangements have been made to con-
tlHQC "ili lliCSS tS1ilpOI al cape
dents.
Few Additional Seats.
1t is quite possible that more part.
time will be organized, as only 32O
additional seats have been provided in
the elementary system. These are in
the new Janney School. an eight-room
building, designed originally as a re.
placement Of the old Tenfey School.
The Tenley, however, will be con.
tinued In use until eight more rooms
are added to the Janney.
AS anticipated by the officials, the
greatest congestion reported today
occurred In the schools in the heart
or on the border of the rapidly de-
veloping residential sections of the
northeast and northwest. At all of
these schools portables have been
pressed into service.
The Petworth School alone is using
10 Of the one-room structures to ac-
commodate its excess of pupils Five
Of these are located in the schoolyard
and the other five form a portable
colony at Thirteenth and Allison
streets. The Brightwood Park School
is using four portables, the Takoma
two. the Woodburn two and the John
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