Newly released figures by the Fayette County Board of Education show a total enrollment of 22,084 students for the 2008-2009 school year.

The figures show a decrease of 106 students over the number that finished the 2007-2008 school term. The decrease is approximately one-half of 1 percent of last year’s enrollment.

Total elementary school enrollment decreased by 93 students while middle schools lost two students and high schools dropped by 11 students.

Information supplied by the school system showed that eight elementary schools gained students while nine elementary schools lost students.

The largest gains were at Kedron Elementary with 93 students, at Crabapple with 68 students and Braelinn with 55 students.

The largest elementary losses were at Peachtree City Elementary with 111 fewer students, Peeples Elementary with 93 fewer and Sara Harp Minter Elementary with 50 fewer students than last year.

The school system saw a much smaller drop in enrollment at the middle and high school levels compared to last year.

The enrollment at middle schools this year is 5,222, compared to 5,224 last year.

Booth Middle enrollment is down 23 students over last year and Whitewater Middle is down six.

Showing gains over last year are Bennett’s Mill Middle with 19 and Rising Starr Middle with 14.

High school enrollment for the new school year is 7,912, compared to 7,923 last year, a decrease of 11 students.

The largest drop occurred at Sandy Creek High with 53 fewer students and Starr’s Mill with 38 fewer.

The greatest high school enrollment gains were at Fayette County High with 72 additional students and the Open Campus high school with an increase of 46.

Enrollment at Fayette schools declined in 2007-2008 by 259 students over the previous year.

Superintendent John DeCotis previously cited the economic downturn and a number of out of county students booted out of the school system as factors for the decrease.

Meantime, growth in Fayette County is on the skids, with permits for residential construction in 2007 down to levels not seen since 1972, interim County Administrator Jack Krakeel said in April, and current estimates by the Atlanta Regional Commission showing Fayette with the second slowest population growth in metro Atlanta.