By Tim Ashley
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Barring the “unexpected,” which with COVID-19 has become the norm, Wawasee Community School Corporation buildings will be opened for students eight days from now, or Thursday, Aug. 13.

As part of its back to school plan, the school corporation allowed for students to request virtual learning if they did so by Friday, July 31. A deadline was set to allow time for the proper resources and staff to be available.

According to numbers released by WCSC, a total of 377 students corporation-wide have enrolled in virtual learning. By grade, sixth grade has the most virtual learning students with 50 and Wawasee Middle School has 41 of those. Kindergarten has the least with seven enrolled.

Wawasee High School has the most students enrolled for virtual learning with 126 spread over grades nine to 12.

Administrators a few weeks ago estimated about 10 percent of students would opt for virtual learning. This year’s total enrollment numbers aren’t available yet because the enrollment process is not yet finished, but based on last year’s total of slightly above 2,900 students the percentage is 13.

A breakdown of the numbers by grade with also the number for each school is as follows:

• Kindergarten — 7 (Milford 2, North Webster 2 and Syracuse 3)

• First grade — 20 (Milford 6, North Webster 6 and Syracuse 8)

• Second grade — 25 (Milford 9, North Webster 8 and Syracuse 8)

• Third grade — 26 (Milford 4, North Webster 10 and Syracuse 12)

• Fourth grade — 33 (Milford 10, North Webster 9 and Syracuse 14)

• Fifth grade — 30 (Milford 6, North Webster 8 and Syracuse 16)

• Sixth grade — 50 (Milford 9, Wawasee Middle School 41)

• Seventh grade — 28 (Milford 7, WMS 21)

• Eighth grade — 32 (Milford 11, WMS 21)

• Wawasee High School (ninth grade 29, 10th grade 32, 11th grade 36 and 12th grade 29)