A flurry of hugs between familiars and anxious introductions between newcomers were exchanged Friday as new seventh graders and returning eighth graders gathered at Milagro Middle School.

The first-day-of-school socializing was accompanied by a DJ set — not only to usher in the start of the year but also to celebrate, at long last, an enrollment reversal for the midtown school.

For the first time in Milagro’s short history, it has an excess of potential enrollees, leading to a waitlist.

Milagro, born out of the 2017 consolidation of the old De Vargas and Capshaw middle schools — both shuttered due to declining enrollment — had a shaky start. It first opened on the Capshaw campus while De Vargas underwent an overhaul that ultimately became a raze-and-rebuild project.

The brand-new schoo

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