Being new to a community can make any parents anxious about their child’s school. But the transition can be even more nerve wracking when the family has arrived from a foreign country.

“In Amsterdam, there is a big difference between a good school and a bad school,” Margot Versteeg said Thursday while enrolling her 9-year-old son, Ruben. “But we learned that the schools in Lawrence are pretty good. So we were happy to know that.”

Versteeg, her husband, Rudy Ghijsen, and Ruben recently moved to Lawrence from the Netherlands.

Across the Lawrence public school system, there are students representing about 40 countries, officials said.

Thursday, all new international students had the opportunity to enroll at Hillcrest School, 1045 Hilltop Drive.

It was the first time the district offered a special enrollment session for international students in all grade levels. One advantage: A student could be tested for English proficiency and enrolled in one stop. Previously, students’ language skills were tested at district headquarters, then they went to their schools to enroll.

The screening helps school officials determine how much support each student needs through the district’s English Language Learner program, said Hillcrest principal Tammy Becker.

Kim Young, federal program specialist for the school district, said it was too early to know how many students would be in the program and the total number of international students in the district was not available Thursday.

Last year, there were 241 students in the program districtwide, up from 139 in 1998. The increase mirrors a nationwide trend, Young said.

“We haven’t been able to identify the reasons why Lawrence is experiencing the increase,” she said.

Donna McCullough, who works in the international student service office for the Lawrence school district, administers a screening test to Victor Cano, 5, left, and his cousin Johan Cano, 6. International students enrolling at Hillcrest School were tested in English proficiency Thursday morning.

The number of international students attributable to Kansas University hasn’t increased, Young said.

Versteeg and Ghijsen moved to Lawrence for jobs at KU. Versteeg is a Spanish professor and Ghijsen is involved in chemistry research.

While Versteeg and Ghijsen speak English, they said Ruben doesn’t. But he is quickly picking it up. Television has helped. They also signed Ruben up to play soccer through the Kaw Valley Soccer Assn.

“We left him there the other day for three hours,” Ghijsen said. “When we went back we saw him already helping direct teammates.”