For their second year in a row, Oak Harbor schools are seeing an increase in enrollment after a nearly seven-year decline.

The findings were presented at a school board meeting Monday night. The total number of full-time students in the district is estimated at 5,347, which is 89 students higher than last September.

The number was also well above the school district’s prediction. For their yearly budget, the business staff predicted 5,125 students, or 222 students fewer.

While the numbers are only a snapshot of the annual average, they’re an important first look at trends. The district follows enrollment throughout the year to help with staffing, budgeting and planning.

Superintendent Rick Schulte said this is a sign of stability, and the staff’s enrollment projections weren’t far off.

If enrollment predictions are too low, classrooms could be overfilled due to short staffing.

A too-high prediction could trigger budget problems as less money is provided from the state for students.

In his report, Assistant Superintendent Lance Gibbon showed the school board a breakdown of enrollment at each school level.

At elementary schools, class sizes are slightly lower than last year in four out of six grades, but slightly higher overall. The class sizes are generally balanced.

For middle schools, enrollment is higher than projected, particularly at North Whidbey Middle School. It has 29 more students than predicted.

Oak Harbor High School has 80 full-time students above the district’s projections, with a total of 1,673.

School board member Corey Johnson asked if the bump in students at the high school had to do with the $69 million modernization project.

Gibbon said there’s no way to tell, but it’s a possibility. The district predicted a decrease at the high school level, and as teens exit the district throughout the year, their predictions may become more accurate.

“I think something is going on that we see an increase when many districts are seeing a decrease,” Schulte said.

If overall enrollment holds, the district will need to brainstorm ways to provide extra support at elementary schools and the high school.