Flint Hills Technical College is enjoying a significant boost in its full-time equivalent student population.
The Kansas Board of Regents says the college had a nearly 18-percent increase in its FTE numbers, going from 582 students to 685. FHTC Vice President of Student Services Lisa Kirmer says a big part of the enrollment is a 70 percent high school enrollment.
The 17 percent increase over last year in full-time students was the second-highest increase by a Kansas technical college this year, behind only Salina Area Technical College which saw a 27 percent increase. Moving forward, Kirmer says the goal becomes recruiting new students but also the retention of high school students taking either technical or general education courses.
On Monday, KVOE News told you about Emporia State University also enjoying enrollment growth. ESU had a 6-percent growth in new full-time students as a whole, along with a 7-percent bump in full-time freshmen and a 36-percent spike in full-time graduate students.
This the first year the Board of Regents has utilized full-time equivalent headcount numbers as its enrollment gauge. In years past, the board has used Day 20 enrollment totals.
Emporia Public Schools had a slight decline of almost 70 students with its unaudited headcount, but Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Rob Scheib says the audited count actually gives the district a gain of nine students — from 4,473 to 4,482. Scheib says the audited total accounts for students enrolled and in class on the 20th day of school.
Scheib says there is a “bubble” of students working through Emporia Middle School now, with overall enrollment almost 60 students higher than last year. Enrollment at Flint Hills Learning Center is also up 15 students. Elementary enrollment, meanwhile, is down over 80 students from last year.
Across the KVOE listening area, USD 252 Southern Lyon County had identical enrollment, while USD 251 North Lyon County, USD 386 Madison-Virgil and USD 421 Lyndon had slight declines. USD 284 Chase County had an enrollment increase.
