A week into the 2009-2010 school year, Simi Valley Unified District officials are reporting their enrollment is lower than expected, a discouraging realization when schools all over the state are clamoring for funds.

The government gives school districts money for each student who is enrolled and attends class.

Last week, Lowell Schultze, associate superintendent of business and facilities, estimated that enrollment would be down about 102 students from the 20082009 school year. However, one week into classes, actual numbers show the district is actually down 263 students. That could equate to a loss of more than $1 million in funding.

Including special education students, enrollment in SVUSD was 20,572 Wednesday.

Schultze did say that he expects the numbers to rise after Labor Day, when some families return from vacations.

However, the numbers revealing how many students actually showed up to class in Simi last year are in, and the information is promising.

The highest rate of attendance at an elementary school—97.42 percent—was at Hollow Hills. The lowest, at 95.15 percent, was at Berylwood. Average attendance among the 21 elementary schools in the district was 96.05 percent.

At the middle school level, Sinaloa saw 94.99 percent attendance last year, Valley View had 95.51 percent and Hillside was first at 95.6 percent. All three traditional high schools were in the 95th percentile.

“These percentages are really important to us,” Schultze said. “That’s (how) we get paid. Our overall number is above last year, so that’s good.”

Apollo High School, which saw an 83.03 percent attendance rate, has seen big gains. Schultze said just a few years ago, Apollo’s attendance was in the 70s.

Schultze said the district instituted new programs last year to help with enrollment numbers, including paying a company to send home letters to chronic truants and calling parents every day that their child isn’t in school or misses even one class in secondary school.

“We try to get the calls out the same day the students aren’t in class,” Schultze said. “We are doing everything we can to keep them in school.”