An unexpected number of fresh new faces have joined the ranks at Coos County schools this week, as several districts have reported an unexplained increase among kindergarten students.

At North Bend campuses, which opened doors this morning, there are about 24 more of the 5- and 6-year-olds than in prior years, said Superintendent BJ Hollensteiner.

“We’re surprised. Pleasantly surprised,” Hollensteiner said Tuesday. “It’s exciting, because we’ve been losing enrollment.”

This sudden spike �” from 120 to 144 �” means a second kindergarten class at North Bay Elementary School in the Hauser area, where a part-time teacher just took on a full-time gig. The class was added to North Bay, because there wasn’t room at Hillcrest for more of kindergartners, she said.

It’s good news, but it could be better.

“The number of kindergartners that we have is more than what we thought, but it still doesn’t equal the number of seniors graduating,” she said. “We’re still losing enrollment, but not at the rate we would.”

Nearly 170 seniors are expected to don caps and gowns this summer. About the same number moved on from North Bend High School last year.

Coos Bay experienced a similar uptick in kindergartners, said Superintendent Bob De La Vergne, with a jump from 236 last year to 267.

Although numbers won’t be solid until next week when students settle in, he said the district opened another kindergarten class at Bunker Hill. That meant teacher Patti Hanlin, who was spreading her time teaching youngsters at Blossom Gulch and Bunker Hill, is now a full-time instructor at the latter. The district also will be hiring an additional half-time teacher to cover the load at Blossom Gulch. In the meantime, a substitute is keeping the seat warm.

“They went through the roof in kindergarten,” Bob De La Vergne said. “It’s good news.”

� According to Bunker Hill Principal Dale Inskeep, the number of kindergarten students registered at the campus is close to 90. Last year, it was only 58.

In prior years, students attended half days with full-time kindergarten teacher Cindy George or Hanlin, either in the morning or the afternoon, and the teachers divided the 58 students into three class groups. This made each class size around 20 students.

When the number of registered kindergartners skyrocketed this year, Inskeep did the math. There would be almost 30 students per class.

“That’s way too big for kindergarten,” he said.

Bunker Hill responded by hiring Hanlin full time, giving her a permanent classroom and two full classes of kindergartners.

“It’s really good for students because I’m here all day,” Hanlin said on the first day of school, Tuesday. “They really benefit from having a teacher in just one building.”

Inskeep takes this as a sign of steady growth.

“This is the most we’ve had for kindergarten registration in the five years that I’ve been here,” he said.

Myrtle Point also is up a bit from the previous year. This year 49 kindergartners enrolled, though school doesn’t start until next week.

Last year 43 students were in attendance.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Myrtle Crest Elementary School Secretary Nikki Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick said she isn’t sure what may have caused the increase, but speculated it may be because the district moved to all-day kindergarten last year. The transition worked well and that could account for the increase.

Then again, she said, the explanation could be much simpler.

“Maybe there was a little baby boom that year,” Kirkpatrick said.

She doesn’t know yet if the enrollment increase will necessitate more teachers or another class.

While the influx of students left North Bend scrambling for space and instructors, the children will mean more money for school programs, Hollensteiner said. Kindergartners attend school part-time, so the district gets a half portion of state money per child.

That amount will grow to about $5,000 per student in coming years, as those children move into the upper grades. When student enrollment dropped in the past, offerings including metal shop have been reduced and in some cases schools �” the former Bangor and Sunny Hill schools, for example �” have been shut down.

� “There’s no reason to think that’s going to happen again,” Hollensteiner said.

Hollensteiner and De La Vergne said they had no explanation for the change in enrollment. But, like Kirkpatrick said, the increase could be related to the number of babies born in the county in the earlier part of the decade. According to the Oregon Center for Health Statistics, in 2001, 582 babies were born in the county. In 2002, the number jumped to 630, 631 in 2003, and 638 in 2004.

No matter the reason, Inskeep said he’s pleased with how his district reacted to the change.

“Our district did a great job with really being on top of looking at the registration numbers,” Inskeep said. ”It’s great, I love the first day of school, too. I’m very pleased with the way our school district handled it.”

�” Staff Writers Jolene Guzman and Alex Powers contributed to this story.