Teachers and staff members eagerly greeted students — most of which were sporting smiles, even the teenagers — for the first day of the 2023-24 school year on Wednesday. Administrators reported overall positive starts and attendance numbers that were on par with last year.
(Click here to view photos we captured at Audubon Elementary, Owensboro Catholic High, Foust Elementary, and St. Mary of the Woods on Wednesday morning.)
“We had an exceptional day today across DCPS,” said Daviess County Public Schools Superintendent Matt Robbins. “I personally visited eight of our 20 school locations today, and my leadership team visited all others. Schools were running as if we had been in school for a couple of weeks.”
Robbins said the district’s overall attendance was 10,354 — which is nearly identical to the first day last year.
“Our year is off to a great start and we are very excited about the learning opportunities our students will receive,” Robbins said. We are highly focused on our MTSS school structures, our renewed emphasis on co-teaching, and our focus on academically improving each student. We believe every student deserves to achieve at least one year of growth, and it is our focus to ensure this happens for every student in Daviess County.”
Owensboro Public Schools Interim Superintendent Anita Burnette similarly said it was a “great” first day for OPS.
“We even had students lined up outside about a half hour before the doors even opened at a couple of schools because they were so excited to be back, and that truly says a lot about what our schools mean to our students,” she said. “We didn’t have any issues with transportation or getting classes underway other than the normal growing pains of the first few days of school. Our transportation staff took extra time to make sure that each student made it to the bus stop so no one missed the first day, and that process gets easier after these first few days.”
Burnette said the OPS attendance was 4,612, which is “pretty much on par” with last year.
“We are primed to have another great year at OPS,” she said. “All of our teaching positions have been filled and our students will have the opportunity to learn from the best educators in an environment where they are loved and cared for. Our future is bright and I’m looking forward to the exciting stories of success from our students and staff throughout the year.”
Owensboro Catholic Schools Chief Education Officer Tracy Conkright said each of the four OCS schools had a smooth start to their day.
“Students arrived with smiles and excitement. No problems so far with transportation,” she said.
Though she didn’t provide specific numbers, Conkright said the OCS enrollment projections show an increase in students from last year.
“We spent all summer building our leadership teams within each of our buildings,” she said. “Our dedicated faculty and staff are devoted to our students and work each day to carry out our system’s mission. We are excited about the upcoming year.”
