McLean family members are no strangers to overcrowded educational facilities.
The issues have been concentrated in the McLean Substantial Faculty pyramid, in which the dwelling of the Highlanders and feeder faculty Kent Gardens Elementary have been over potential for the past decade.
At 121% ability, Kent Gardens is experiencing a single of the major area deficits in the county, trailing only Wakefield Forest Elementary Faculty (132%) and Oakton High School (125%), according to Fairfax County Community Schools’ proposed Capital Enhancement Software for fiscal decades 2023-2027.
Capacity Deficits Projected to Continue on
Kent Gardens experienced 1,023 learners to get started this school yr in a developing designed for up to 896 learners. The school’s profile implies that enrollment has dipped to 1,019 college students as of November.
There are at present 11 short-term school rooms on website, with the most latest addition of trailers coming throughout the 2019-2020 faculty calendar year.
According to the CIP, Kent Gardens has been in excess of potential since at minimum 2012, when it experienced 906 students and was at 111% capacity. Though enrollment is predicted to decline over the subsequent five years, the faculty will however be at 118% potential with 1,003 college students by the 2026-2027 university yr.
McLean Significant College has experienced more pupils than program capacity considering the fact that the 2011-2012 university calendar year. The introduction of a 12-classroom modular previously this calendar year assisted slice the potential deficit from 118% previous calendar year to 107% this drop, while enrollment appears to have developed from 2,347 students in September to 2,366 college students, as of November.
FCPS suggests it is checking the school’s potential immediately after applying a phased boundary adjustment in September that moved an estimated 190 higher university learners and 78 middle university learners to the Langley Higher College pyramid.
Having said that, the CIP signifies that overcrowding will persist at least through 2026-2027, when 2,317 pupils are projected to be enrolled and the college will be at 105% or 121% potential, depending on whether or not the modular is even now in area.
What FCPS Is Executing
FCPS suggests it is analyzing five achievable selections for addressing overcrowding at Kent Gardens:
- Improve effectiveness by reassigning educational spaces within just a university
- Doable plan adjustments
- Repurpose current school facilities not now being utilized as schools or make a new university facility
- Capacity enhancement by means of either a modular or developing addition
- Prospective boundary adjustment with other faculties recognized as obtaining a ability surplus
According to a spokesperson, FCPS has revised its Dual Language Immersion Lottery to take additional students in Kent Gardens’ boundaries, setting up with the 2022-2023 faculty calendar year. The improve will enhance the school’s method ability of 848 college students, if not its design potential.
With Tysons expected to double its population in excess of the next few a long time and downtown McLean gearing for extensive redevelopment, FCPS is preparing for the inflow of family members by making new elementary colleges in Dunn Loring and Tysons, alongside with repurposing the Pimmit Hills Center.
The aid promised by individuals projects won’t appear for a although, while. Building on Dunn Loring Elementary School is not predicted to finish right until 2026, and FCPS is not organizing to search for funding for the Tysons and Pimmit Hills schools until 2027.
It also stays to be observed who will gain from the new schools, since they won’t be assigned pyramids right up until boundary scientific studies can be conducted, which happens in the direction of the close of design, in accordance to FCPS.
The Langley and Marshall high college pyramids, which serve the McLean and Tysons locations, respectively, are not experiencing the same crowding as McLean, however Spring Hill Elementary School is projected to access 101% capacity in 2026-2027.
Enrollment in FCPS in general is projected to drop from 176,212 learners this year to 174,326 college students in the 2026-2027 college 12 months.
Image by means of Google Maps
