The school year began this week in Fayette County with enrollment figures for the school system’s 30 schools down slightly from last year.

Preliminary enrollment as of Aug. 6 showed 21,878 students in the system, said Public Information Officer Melinda Berry-Dreisbach. Year-end enrollment in May showed 22,047 students, a difference of 169.

But that number will undoubtedly change, Berry-Dreisbach said, since Fayette historically experiences continued enrollment into September as new residents move into the area.

Like Georgia’s other school systems, Fayette has experienced significant cuts in state funding due to the recession. And like other school systems, one of the adjustments Fayette made was by increasing class sizes and, subsequently, teacher/students ratios.

The ratio of teachers with a parapro for kindergarten this year is 1:22 compared to 1:20 last year. Similarly, the ratio for grades 1-3 is 1:23 compared to the 1:21 figure during the 2008-2009 school year. And for grades 4-5 the current ratio is 1:30 compared to 1:25 last year.

Ratios in middle and high tend to follow suit, with grades 6-8 showing a ratio this year of 1:30 compared to 1:25 last year, while grades 9-12 have a 1:32 ratio this year compared to 1:26 for 2008-2009.