St. Louis – Nearly 84% of students expected to attend school in St. Louis were in the classroom learning today, a dramatic improvement over the attendance yesterday. The total enrollment for St. Louis Public Schools today is 27,620 compared with the first day enrollment of 23,558.

“We are certainly pleased to see an increase in the attendance for day two,” said Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Interim Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools. “However, we want all of our kids in school tomorrow,” she said.

The percentage of students attending now exceeds the 80% average attendance for the first full week of previous years.

This year, the district has been able to place certified teachers in more classrooms. There are fewer than 60 vacant teaching positions in core subjects, including math, science, and language arts. “I am confident that we will have a highly qualified teacher in every classroom in the very near future,” said Dr. Bourisaw.