After a push by Vicksburg Warren School District officials for full attendance at all 14 schools during the past two months, an extra $1.2 million is expected to be added to next year’s budget.

Numbers released Wednesday by the Mississippi Department of Education show the district’s average daily attendance for October and November was 8,635, up from 8,314 recorded last year.

Some of the increase is due to a growth of 200 students in enrollment, but even with that number, by 121 more.

&#8220This amount is the minimum amount we will receive. I know for sure we’ll get $1.2 million, but other federal grants feed off of the ADA numbers, so we might even get more,” said Superintendent James Price.

Nearly all of the district’s state funding is based on a formula with average daily attendance as a multiplier. The higher the attendance, the more state dollars. The funding is calculated at a minimum of $3,895 per student, but additional funding is available for students on free or reduced lunch plans through the district.

&#8220I’m definitely pleased,” Price said. &#8220My goal was 225, but I’ll take the 121. It shows we’re making progress, and we’ll continue next year with hopefully even bigger numbers.”

In the past, the figures could be either an average of attendance in months two and three, which the state considers October and November, or an average of all nine months of the school year. The district has always reported the nine-month average because the number is higher, said Superintendent James Price.

But the whole-year option was removed and this year all funding will be based on months two and three.

Other results from the study showed 4,073 students with perfect attendance for the two months, and 1,850 students with only one absence.

Separately, Price addressed the issue of Vicksburg High School dropping from classification 5A to 4A for sports.

&#8220It has absolutely nothing to do with academics or with funding,” he said. &#8220The only thing that will be different is what teams they’ll play.”

Vicksburg’s enrollment of 1,088 dropped it to the top of the 4A category with the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s reclassification system. Under the system, the 32 schools with the largest enrollment in the state are classified as 5A. Warren Central High’s enrollment of 1,244 placed it at 20th on the list. Vicksburg High placed as 33rd.