Wednesday marks the beginning of a new school year throughout most of Southwest Florida.
As parents begin packing lunches and bookbags, they can also expect to find classrooms a little more packed as well.
Each year, the Florida Department of Education shares its student enrollment numbers for each district in the state.
Four out of the six Southwest Florida counties have seen consistent growth in enrollment between the 2020-2021 and 21-22 school years.
Lee, Collier, and Charlotte have added between 1,000-3,000 over the past two years. This is in spite of the pandemic disrupting instruction methods, travel, and other key factors.
Click here for the state's official data, which includes information on public and charter enrollment in your area.
It is the rapid growth that is seen as one of the key factors in the need for more staff at many area schools.
