In preparation for his first day of kindergarten at Blanton Elementary School, Peyton Johnson retired to bed at 8:30 p.m.

Within four hours of going to sleep, Johnson woke up and began to ask every hour afterward, “Mommy, is it time to go to school?”

After several hours of hearing no, the time came when he got the answer he had been waiting for: yes.

“It’s great,” the 5-year-old said, posing as his family took a couple of pictures at the new campus in Denton.

“He’s probably more excited about this than he was Christmas,” said Annetta Madray, Peyton’s grandmother, who came with his mother and father to drop him off Tuesday morning. “It’s probably one of the most important moments for him because we know he’s going to school, and the future begins for him.”

For three Denton campuses — Blanton and Stephens elementary schools and Harpool Middle School — the day marked new beginnings. The three campuses became the newest additions to the Denton school district Tuesday, opening doors in Argyle and Shady Shores.

District officials reported an overall enrollment of 21,543 for its first day, a 5.6 percent increase from last year. Denton’s three new schools boasted some of the highest attendance numbers in the district’s southern and eastern zones.

Officials also indicated that about 5,500 were transported to school via bus on Tuesday. The number of students riding the bus was rather low for the first day, said Gene Holloway, Denton schools transportation director, but he expects numbers to pick up in coming days. The number is usually low the first few days because parents tend to take their children to school, he said.

Before the doors opened Tuesday, many students stood outside, holding large bags of school supplies, while others smiled for pictures on school steps with parents.

For Blanton third-grader Esmeralda Corona, the thought of entering a new school on Tuesday was something that kept her from sleeping Monday night. She said she’s excited about the new school and is looking forward to earning good grades and reading more complex books.

While holding his daughter’s hand prior to the school doors opening, Jose Corona said he felt good about her starting a new year.

“I know she’s going to learn more, and that’s what I expect from her,” he said. “She’s a good student and a good daughter, and she’s going to do the best she can.”

For some students and parents, starting school Tuesday was a difficult time. Some young children burst into tears while parents peered in the doorways of classrooms.

Parents struggling with the day were treated to a “Tears and Cheers” breakfast at Stephens Elementary.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Starla "Carter" Dickinson comforts her daughter, Mercedes Dickinson, on her first day of school in Shauna Oman's kindergarten class at Annie Webb Blanton Elementary in Argyle.

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Blanton fifth-grader Holden Bell struggled with switching schools because he longed to be with his friends at his previous elementary school.

“There’s like no kids that I know here,” he said, adding that he only recognized two students from his former campus.

Catherine Holloway’s two children, ages 8 and 6, and her 6-year-old niece started school at Blanton. She said that even though she has experienced first days of school before, Tuesday was still somewhat hard for her. She and her sister, Tami Stacey, arrived at 7:15 a.m. to drop off their children.

As the children exited their vehicle, Holloway and her sister captured every moment on video.

One would think that she’d be ready to see the children go back off to school, Holloway said. But she’s going to miss the noise she got used to hearing from them during the summer months.

“It’s not as hard as it was seeing them start the first day, period, but it is kind of hard because they’re growing up, and you want them to stay small for so long,” she said.

Michael Elmore, an architect of Denton’s new campuses, said the opening of three new schools on Tuesday was a culmination of hard labor and teamwork.

Voters approved the $49.4 million in bonds in 2004 to pay for the schools.

There are two milestones in creating a new school, he said. One is when ground is broken, and the other is 12 months later, when children walk through the doors of a building for the very first time.

Seeing the students enter a new campus is an unbelievable feeling, he said.

Karen Satterwhite, Blanton principal, said Tuesday was a special day for her staff, parents and students. She said she arrived at 6:15 a.m. to walk the halls prior to students arriving.

“To stand outside and watch those smiling faces is the reward,” Satterwhite said. “To see those children is the blessing.”

Eric Harting, interim principal at Stephens Elementary, said seeing students walk up the front walkway for the first time gave him goosebumps.

“It was as good as I could have hoped for,” he said.

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com .