This is an X-File that would intrigue even Mulder and Scully: In the past four years, more than 1,000 students have disappeared from the 2007 graduation class of Richmond and Columbia counties. In the 2003-04 school year, there were 4,359 first-time freshmen in the counties' public schools.

SCHOOL: Academy of Richmond County SCHOOL ACTIVIT

The International Baccalaureate Program could be the reason why the Academy of Richmond County moved from being a 3-A to a 4-A school. It's definitely why there are so many students at school with heavy backpacks.

By Greg Gelpi< Staff Writer Students are coming and they are staying, so much so that the Academy of Richmond County had the largest gain in enrollment of any school in Richmond, Columbia or Aiken counties.