After a summer of emptiness, the halls are now full again with confused freshmen and loud chatter as the 2012-2013 school year kicked off  this morning.

“It’s better than middle school,” freshman Lavert Reed said. “High school is bigger and there’s more to do.”

For the first time in school history, Rouse has broken the 2,000 student mark for enrollment.

“I’m blown away that we’re the biggest school in the district,” Pre-AP Geometry and Pre-Calculus teacher Kelly Blake said. “Leander was always the biggest but they’re not anymore. Soon we’ll have enough to jump to 5A –  that’s insane.”

For seniors, Monday was the culmination of 12 years of waiting for their final year of high school.

“It’s kind of depressing to see my last first day of high school,” senior Stephanie Smith said. “It reminds me that you can’t ever go back and do it again.”