The number of students in the San Juan School District has climbed by 133 students in the past year, with much of the growth driven by enrollment gains in the Montezuma Creek-area schools.

Enrollment is counted on October 1 of each year. The October 1 count is used for a variety of purposes, from school staffing to student funding to classification alignment for high school activities.

In the past year, the Arizona Department of Education determined that they would no longer provide education for students from Utah. The Red Mesa Schools are near the Arizona - Utah state line and have been serving schools on both sides of the border.

As a result of the change in policy, scores of students who were attending school in Red Mesa are now attending schools in Montezuma Creek.

Enrollment has grown by more than 23 percent at Montezuma Creek Elementary School and by 11 percent at Whitehorse High School. An eight percent increase in enrollment at Bluff Elementary School may also be due, in part, to the Red Mesa students.

Growth over the past year was not restricted to the Montezuma Creek schools. In fact, the number of students grew at nine of the 12 schools operated by the district, including 40 students at Blanding Elementary School.

The only school to experience a large loss in student enrollment is Monticello High School, which saw enrollment fall by more than eight percent, from 286 students in 2011 to 262 students in 2012.

In total, 3,058 students are enrolled in the public schools. That figure was as high as 3,400 students in the 1990s and fell to 2,750 students in 2008. The figure has rebounded in recent years.