Public elementary and secondary enrollment in Virginia's public schools shot up by nearly 16,000 students between Fall 2006 and 2007, the largest annual increase in over 15 years. The newest projections show future enrollment increases averaging about 11,500 annually through the end of the projection period in September 2012. Student membership will increase to 1,224 thousand in September 2008, and continue climbing for the next five years, peaking at 1,274 thousand students in the fall of 2012.