Enrollment climbing at two Vermilion Parish high schools

Two high schools in Vermilion Parish are growing.
It’s no surprise that North Vermilion High School’s numbers are rapidly growing because of the population growth in the north Vermilion area.
In two years, North Vermilion High is projected to have 670 students, which is 80 students more than it has this school year.
But a school that has shown steady growth over the last four years has been Abbeville High School.
Around four years ago, AHS had shrunk to as little as 525 students.
As of Oct. 1, 2014, student enrollment is 672 and next year it is expected to rise to 730. In two years, student enrollment may be as high as 778. Before 2020, some have projected the student enrollment to be as much as 800.
“We are getting students from all over,” said AHS Principal Ivy Landry. “We have people moving in from New Orleans, Houston and all over. We now have a diverse high school.”
Landry said the school can handle the increase in enrollment. In the late 1970s, there were just under 1,300 students enrolled at AHS.
“If we continue to grow, we will have to hire more teachers,” said Landry.
North Vermilion could reach the 700 mark in five years if residents continue to move to the northern part of the parish.
North Vermilion Principal Tommy Byler said, “The school can handle the students. “That is why we kept some of the portable buildings (when North Vermilion Middle School was built).”
The sophomore class has a whopping 185 students, followed by the freshmen with 170 students.
Byler predicts after the freshmen class, an average class will be 160 students.
In February of 2015, all the high school principals and coaches will meet to reclassify schools for the following school year.
According to the AHS principal, there is a 90 percent chance Abbeville High will move up from Class 3A to Class 4A next year, based on the student enrollment numbers.
Two years ago Abbeville was one of the largest Class 3A schools in the state. In the near future, it could be one of the smallest Class 4A schools in 2015.
Up the road, North Vermilion may or may not move up in classification. Byler predicts NV will remain Class 3A but he is also not 100 percent sure.