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New pre-kindergarten classes at James H. Harrison Elementary and three other elementary schools were among the big changes Monday when more than 6,500 Laurel-area pupils began the school year in Prince George’s County.

‘‘It will make a huge difference,” Harrison pre-k teacher Lynn Burgess said. ‘‘The expectations for each grade seem to be increasing and becoming more academic.”

Pre-k pupils must turn 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, be homeless or reside in the school’s district and meet income requirements.

Pupils who complete pre-k are better prepared for kindergarten than those who attend no pre-school, said Tracie Prevost, Principal at Scotchtown Hills Elementary School. She said Scotchtown began assessing pupils entering kindergarten this year.

‘‘Those who attended our [pre-k] program, they did very well on the assessment,” Prevost said. ‘‘I believe that pre-k is very beneficial.”

Prevost said the 10-minute assessment, which tests pupils’ ability to recognize colors, shapes, letters and pictures, helps educators tailor instruction.

‘‘Typically, with a kindergartner you don’t have any information,” Prevost said. ‘‘You don’t know their strengths and weaknesses.”

Kortney Everett, 4, who started pre-k classes at Harrison Elementary, said she was looking forward to interacting with other pupils, which Burgess noted was just as important as academics for young children.

‘‘I want to make friends,” Kortney said.

Laurel’s oldest students were also doing some primping. Laurel High School’s first year with a mandatory uniform policy got off to an encouraging start, according to Principal Dwayne Jones, who said 95 percent of the school’s 1,900 students were in compliance on the first day.

‘‘I was very pleased,” said Jones.

Improper shoes or socks accounted for many of the infractions.

Repeated violations of the uniform policy are considered insubordination. The policy may be enforced with detention, in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension.

‘‘You’ve got to be strong and hard at first,” Jones said as he oversaw dismissal from the sidewalk on Cherry Lane. ‘‘Otherwise, it will be a pain in the neck the whole year.”

Of nine Laurel-area Prince George’s schools, Bond Mill and Deerfield Run elementary schools are now the only two without mandatory uniforms.

Earlier in the day, Harrison kindergartner Tunde Ige, 5, seemed anxious to get started.

Five minutes early, Tunde stood on the sidewalk biting his fingernails, his tiny arms obscuring his brand new, navy-blue tie. While certainly not discouraged, neckwear is not part of the South Laurel school’s required uniform.

‘‘He’s used to dressing up,” Tunde’s father, Dele Ige explained as he waited with his son for the doors to open.

Dele Ige was one of hundreds of area parents to accompany their children to school on Monday.

Prevost said 300 parents turned up with their children at the approximately 650-pupil school.

‘‘It helps because it sets the tone for parent involvement,” Prevost said.

E-mail Steve Earley at searley@gazette.net.