Hall County Schools opened the 2017-18 school year Monday without any serious issues and nearly 600 more students in the first-day head count than was reported a year ago. “It appears to be one of the smoother starts I’ve seen in the last 20 years,” Superintendent Will Schofield said. “I’ve heard nothing but positive reports, and we’ve had a lot of lines in the water to make sure.” The first-day headcount released early Monday afternoon showed a total of 25,908 students in schools Monday compared with 25,323 students in the headcount on the first day of the 2016-17 school year. “Overall the numbers I had looked at were a little stronger than I anticipated,” Schofield said. The headcount was up 17 students over last year in elementary school, 255 at the middle schools and 313 at the high school level.