If the prediction by superintendent of schools Dr. Richard Miller turns out to be on target, the student enrollment in the Panther Valley School District will almost double in the next six years.

A total of 1,435 students are attending classes in the district’s three schools, according to an enrollment report dated Jan. 1 and issued to the school board when it met last Thursday.

Miller said the enrollment in kindergarten through fourth grade has increased by 76 students in the past 1½ years. Within the next six years, the district will close to double in school size,” he predicted. He said job opportunities resulting from the growth of the Kovatch Corporation in Nesquehoning will bring new families to the Panther Valley towns.