Nearly 28 percent fewer junior high school students are enrolled in summer school courses offered by the Vicksburg Warren School District this year, officials said.

A total of 347 students from grade one through high school are taking classes at three schools — 63 first- through sixth-graders at Warren Central Intermediate, 141 seventh- and eighth-graders at Warren Central Junior High and 143 at Warren Central High School, reported Debra Hullum, retiring assistant superintendent for operations.

The junior high total is down from last summer’s 195.

“Vicksburg Junior has been under observation by us as well as the Mississippi Department of Education this year, with their school improvement plan,” said Dr. Elizabeth Swinford, superintendent. “But we’ve been working with both schools equally and the principals collaborate a lot. An educated guess (about the reason for the decline) would be based on that.”

Numbers of students enrolled in summer school from the individual schools were not available. Classes for junior high students began Monday, with seventh-grade math and seventh- and eighth-grade English, history and science offered.

The elementary students, who began Thursday, are working in reading, language arts and math. This years’ total is up slightly from the 55 who took summer school in 2011.

At the high school, which began Friday, enrollment remained about the same as 2011’s 145.

English 1, 2, 3 and 4 are the only courses being offered at the high school this summer. Swinford said students who need to make up work in other subjects will work through the district’s credit recovery program, which uses online and teacher-directed instruction, as well as the Advanced Program for Transition, both offered during the regular school year.

Eighteen teachers have been hired for the summer courses at the three schools — four elementary, eight junior high and six high school. Students and their parents are responsible for transportation to and from school. Late registrations were approved through Monday.

Summer school is offered to students who fail one or more subjects or classes. The number of students eligible to attend was not available.

“It’s not mandatory,” said Swinford. “We just tell parents they should send their kids.”

Students who fail three or more subjects must repeat the grade. Students who fail one in some cases can move forward but must make up the failed subject at some point, either through coursework during the year or in a summer school class, Swinford said.