Public school enrolment has declined over the past two years.

According to Education Department statistics, there are about 650 fewer students in Government schools this year compared to 1994/95.

Pre-school enrolment dropped to 452 from 491; primary to 4,135 from 4,267; secondary to 2,191 from 2,604; and special students to 58 from 125.

Education's senior manager of human resources Raymond Latter attributed the decrease at the secondary level mainly to Warwick Academy's departure from the public school system.

"One set of figures is from before Warwick Academy left the system,'' he said.

He also explained the decline in special student enrolments was the result of the closure of Woodlands, Cedar Grove and Friendship Vale.

But Mr. Latter said the overall staff/student ratio had improved with more staff brought in as a result of restructuring.

"The staff/student ratio is as a result of inclusion,'' Mr. Latter explained.

"There are more teacher para-professionals in schools since special students were integrated into regular classrooms.'' About 40 people were hired at the beginning of this school year to ensure that "mainstreaming'' was carried out smoothly. They included special education teachers, therapists, and para-professionals or teacher assistants.

"It is very good,'' Mr. Latter said. "We're very fortunate because the ratio is far below the US average.'' And Mr. Latter said he did not expect any more dramatic increases in public school staff.

"The increase has happened,'' he said. "But it will level off. We will have to add one or two people if we need to address the needs of students who come to us. But we don't expect anything too dramatic in the future.'' Meanwhile, private schools reported they were nearing full capacity at the start of the school year.

Montessori Academy head Gordon Maas said the school, off Middle Road, Warwick, was "totally full''.

The school has some 125 students between the ages of three and 12 years old.

Mr. Maas was one of four head teachers -- who at the beginning of the school year -- said they believed that parents saw their schools as viable alternatives to public education which is undergoing major reform.

"Montessori education and the value of it is really getting around,'' he said. "We have viable alternatives for educating.'' He added that the school's waiting list remained strong and there were some applications for the year 2000 for children who have not even been born yet.

Saltus principal Trevor Rowell, who reported enrolment had climbed from 860 to 940 students, said the school had introduced new arrangements in the scheduling of classes to accommodate the increase.

He attributed the overall increase to a "very good curriculum'' which he said had been rewritten with input from some North American universities.

But while student numbers had risen at the junior, preparatory and graduate levels, Mr. Rowell said, classes in the senior school were smaller because Saltus had created new rooms and several additional teachers had joined the staff.

Saltus, which launched a multi-million-dollar development plan, also has a waiting list of some 240 people for first-year elementary spaces and ten to 60 people for spaces in other classes.

"I'm actively considering ways of accommodating students on the waiting list,'' Mr. Rowell said.

Bermuda Institute principal Sheila Holder admitted that her school could also use more classrooms.

The two-form entry school has some 500 students and a growing waiting list.

The Island's three other private schools, Mount St. Agnes Academy, Bermuda High School for girls, and Warwick Academy have also reported a noticeable increase in interest in their schools.