Guilford County Schools Sees Record Summer School Enrollment

Many districts across the state are kicking off summer school this month which they hope will help students impacted by the pandemic. Guilford County Schools is seeing a record number of students enrolled.

Summer school participation in Guilford County two years ago was around 1,200 students. This year, it's nearly 16,000. The goal is not only to get kids caught up and accelerate learning but to add a little fun after a rough school year.

There are enrichment opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school students. Those include robotics camp, visual art, and dance.

GCS Superintendent Dr. Sharon Contreras says the district won't be able to address all of the learning loss during the summer months, but it's a good start.

“We are providing more opportunity for students and we do believe that's one of the reasons that we have more students enrolled," says Contreras. "It's very difficult for parents to find half-day child care but because summer school is all day long, we think more parents are taking advantage of the opportunity.”

GCS is among many districts receiving federal COVID-19 relief funding to help pay for the expanded offerings. Those funds are also being used to provide bonuses for teachers who are working during summer school.

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