The Avon Maitland District School Board did not get any enrolment surprises the first week of school.
The addition of a new module to their Student Information System allowed the board to track new enrolments through the summer.
Board Treasurer Cheri Carter said in the past they estimated enrolment at the elementary level in the spring and were always surprised with the number of new students who showed up at schools in September.
The new online registration tool is open to any member of the public and allows them to go on the board's website and look at the school they plan to attend and start the registration process electronically, even in July and August when the school offices are closed.
"It gives the parents and the community members an opportunity to connect right away to the school and get that paperwork started, and then at the central office we can monitor those registrations over the summer, even when our school office isn't open to give us that information," said Carter.
This past summer the Avon Maitland Board had 71 new students registered that they previously would not have known about until September.
