KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Monday marked the first day of school for some districts in West Michigan, while others have been back for a week or two.
Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) kicked off its first day for the 2022/2023 school year.
Around 1,600 students filed in the doors of Kalamazoo Central High School just before the bell rang at 7:33 a.m. on Monday.
There are around 12,600 total enrolled in the entire district.
This is the first year students are back in-person with no COVID restrictions in two years.
Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri said she was looking forward to getting back to a return of normalcy as much as possible.
"Giving our children the normal school year where prom isn’t impacted and graduation isn’t impacted and field trips and overnight camps. I want them to experience the things that pre-COVID students just took for granted and enjoyed," said Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri.
While the majority of students are back in-person at school, KPS has decided to keep virtual learning an option for families.
Dr. Raichoudhuri said they realized that learning model worked better for some students' pace of learning and other families' schedules.
To keep a focus on the importance of socializing, the students enrolled in online learning are still able to participate in school activities like sports teams and clubs.
For the 2022/2023 school year, KPS has implemented goals to make sure its a successful year, keeping an emphasis on student success.
"We’ll be focusing really heavily on academic gains for sure with an intention towards post-secondary success for our students and preparing them for that, and also really focusing on climate and culture supports in all of our buildings which will look very different whether it’s elementary, middle or high school. That is definitely a priority of ours," said Dr. Raichoudhuri.
The district said enrollment is up this year. Exact student population will come in by September 30, 2022.
For more information on the district and its schools, click here.
