LINCOLN COUNTY – Summer break is over for local students and three-fourths of local schools are reporting significant enrollment increases over last year.

Officials at Lincoln County R-III, Elsberry and Winfield all reported enrollment increases this year from 2-3 percent.

Enrollment at Lincoln County R-III School District ended just under 7,000 last year and as of Aug. 15, Pre-K-12 enrollment was 7,130.

“I think as long as we can stay ahead of the growth when it comes to planning, it’s a good thing…This district has done a great job of forecasting growth,” said Lincoln County R-III Superintendent Matthew Frederickson.

Last year, Winfield had 1,591 students and this year have 1,642.

“We fully anticipate that we will see some growth over the next 5-10 (years) as Lincoln County is one of the fastest growing counties in Missouri,” noted Rod Hamlett, Winfield R-IV School District Superintendent.

Enrollment numbers also increased slightly more than two percent in Elsberry.

Despite the loss of a couple families due to the recent flash flooding, school officials there told The Journal they ended the 2025 school year with 751 students. On the first day of classes Tuesday, 767 students had enrolled. 
Even though Silex finished last year with a membership of 423 students and average daily attendance above 406, projections for this school year so far are at 400, a slight decrease. Still, Silex Superintendent Nick Heggemann remains hopeful about the school district’s focus and future.

“Regardless of fluctuations in enrollment, our mission remains the same — to provide every Silex student with the highest quality education possible,” he said. “We are committed to ensuring that each student who walks through our doors receives the support, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive.”

Heggemann also says looking ahead and staying goal-oriented is a big part of their success.

“We remain focused on our core priorities of Reading, Writing, Intervention, and Climate,” he said. “These goals have guided us for the past three years, and this year we are placing an even stronger emphasis on refining our reading and writing processes. By strengthening literacy skills, providing targeted interventions, and nurturing a positive learning environment, we believe we can make a significant impact on student outcomes.”

Big things are also happening too for the Winfield R-IV School District. Ericka Dixon is the new assistant superintendent and “will be directly involved in the communication for our district.” There is also construction of a 500-seat Performing Arts Center which Hamlett says “will not only be great for our band, choir, and drama programs, but will be a center that the entire community can use and be proud of.”

“My hopes this year are the same for every year that we create an environment where our students feel loved and respected,” Hamlett said. “A place where our parents feel welcomed, and a place our employees want to come to work with their students everyday. I want a school where we produce successful adults who remember their time at Winfield as a time when they grew as people and look back on their experience with fondness.”

Significant initiatives for the Lincoln County R-III District this school year made possible by the passage of Proposition KIDS in April 2025 have started happening including the new addition at Hawk Point Elementary. Among the other projects that were finished during the summer include Boone and Lincoln Elementary Schools’ gymnasium flooring, Troy Buchanan High School cafeteria which was renovated with new heated and chilled serving zones, and additional space for quicker lines during lunch time, to name a few.

Set to be tentatively completed on Aug. 7, 2026, Frederickson said the Hawk Point addition will be a welcome one especially for special education students to be taught there for most services.

“It was our only school that didn’t have the entrance with the two layers with the transaction window in the middle so we can make sure someone is supposed to be in the building before they get through that second door so it’s the only one that didn’t have that vestibule there,” he said. “It did not have an approved storm safe place to shelter, so we’re building one of those and the library was not accessible to students with certain disabilities because they had to go upstairs to get to the library. We’re able to expand there. It’s going well and we are excited.”