For the second year in a row, officials at Leeds Elementary School are seeing an increase in enrollment, specifically for those entering kindergarten.

Prior to the school year beginning, the system saw 170 students register to begin kindergarten classes at LES. That number increased to 180 on the first day of school this past Tuesday, making it the largest known class ever at a Leeds school, according to officials.

The number of new kindergarteners required the school board to quickly begin advertising for an additional teacher. That position is being advertised through Aug. 15 with plans to hire soon after. Currently, the new kindergarten class is being led by a substitute.

The additional teacher will make a total of nine teachers at the kindergarten level, providing for 20 students per teacher.

The growth puts a spotlight on the school system’s plan to move fifth graders from LES to the middle school, a plan that was implemented on Tuesday after months of planning. Had the fifth graders stayed at LES for the 2011-12 school year, Superintendent John Moore said LES would have been well over capacity.

“Had we not moved the fifth grade to LMS, we would be in portable classrooms right now,” Moore said.

The new kindergarten class will not be along the kindergarten hall at LES, but is very close.

While the enrollment growth of other grades has not been determined yet, with the boom at the kindergarten level, this could be the second year in a row that LES has experienced a significant enrollment increase. Last year, the kindergarten class swelled to 149 students. The increase to 180 this year accounts for a 20 percent increase.

The school system experienced a total 8 percent enrollment increase from the 2009 school year to 2010. The majority of that growth was in the K-8 level.

Moore said the larger classes at LES means the system will have to plan for the future in terms of meeting these students’ needs.

“We had about 400 students at LHS in 2010-11. If you do the math, when this year’s kindergarten class is in high school, there could be over 700 students at LHS. As you imagine the elementary group moving up, you can see how our district is growing,” Moore said.

This year’s kindergarteners could end up as the largest graduating class in LHS history when they earn their diplomas in 2024.

The superintendent added that the growth is a sign that the school system is on the right track.

“It is an honor to have the public’s confidence,” he said. “I believe this speaks very highly of our teachers, school system, and the community overall.”