The number of students attending Saskatoon Public Schools reached a new high this fall, according to enrolment data presented to the Board of Education's Oct. 11 meeting

Enrolment on Sept. 30, 2016, was 24,919 students, an overall increase of 896 students from the same time last year and a continuation of the significant growth experienced by the school division during the past several years.

There were 16,398 students enrolled at the elementary-school level and 8,521 in high school programs, according to the Sept. 30 figures.

The division also saw an increase in the number of Kindergarten to Grade 12 students requiring English as an Additional Language instruction. That number rose to 2,733, a jump of 183 students from the previous year.

Enrolment in the French Immersion program rose by 125 students to 2,383, while the Nêhiyâwiwin Cree Language and Culture program reported 283 students, an increase of 52.

Enrolment in the division's kindergarten programs was reported as 1,790 students.

Saskatoon Public Schools is the largest school division in Saskatchewan with 44 elementary schools, 11 secondary schools, two associate school and one alliance school. It serves more than 24,000 students and employs approximately 2,400 professional and support staff.