The most wonderful time of the year? It's the first day of school

Today, Sept. 3, is the first day of school at all four local school boards.

The Rainbow District School Board said in a press release that its predicted enrolment for the start of the 2024-2025 school year is 14,383 students.

In the elementary panel, enrolment will total 9,363 students including 6,752 in the English Program and 2,611 in French Immersion.

In the secondary panel, enrolment is expected to reach 5,020 students including 4,228 in the English Program and 792 in French Immersion.

Enrolment is calculated as full-time equivalents.

This fall, 1,426 children are expected to be enrolled in Kindergarten in Rainbow schools, a full-day program for four and five-year-olds.

A total of 1,086 students have registered for Grade 9 classes in area Rainbow schools.

Official enrolment data will be available at the end of October.

Rainbow District School Board is the largest school board in Northern Ontario with 29 elementary school buildings and 9 secondary school buildings in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin.

The Board also offers other programs - Applied Behaviour Analysis program, Attendance Centre, Cecil Facer School, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program, Children’s Treatment Centre, Frank Flowers School, N’Swakamok Native Alternative School/N’Swakamok Anishnawbek Kinomaadwin School, Mishko-Ode-Wendam, Northern Support Initiative, O’Connor Park, Restart, Simulated Healthy Independent Living Opportunities (SHILO) program, and Barrydowne College operating at Cambrian College.