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Castle Rock, Parker will see bulk of new students
In the next five years, many of the nearly 8,000 new students enrolling in Douglas County schools will attend schools in the southern part of the district, as growth patterns move away from Highlands Ranch and center on Castle Rock and Parker.
By By: Jennifer Simonson
In the next five years, many of the nearly 8,000 new students enrolling in Douglas County schools will attend schools in the southern part of the district, as growth patterns move away from Highlands Ranch and center on Castle Rock and Parker.
Enrollment projections for the next five years show that Castle Rock will receive the largest percentage of growth, followed by Parker then Highlands Ranch.
The rate of growth in Highlands Ranch, which has been the fastest-growing area in the district for a number of years, has slowed primarily because the area is nearing buildout, district officials said.
"The rings of growth emanate closest to Denver. The first ring was in Highlands Ranch, where the bulk of growth happened, but now those rings are expanding out to Castle Rock and Parker," said district spokesperson Bruce Caughey.
In its annual five-year facility plan, the district's long-range planning committee studied enrollment patterns to predict when the district's schools will reach capacity.
The plan recommends that the Douglas County Board of Education consider building an additional middle school and high school in Castle Rock and Parker in future bond elections. While mobile classrooms can manage Parker-area schools for the next five years, capacity in Castle Rock schools is an ever-growing problem that is predicted to worsen with time.
Projections show that Castle Rock's Douglas County High School and Castle Rock Middle School will each be more than 200 students above capacity this year and will increase to 430 students above capacity in 2006.
"The numbers are not as bad as they look," said Tom Bell, director of planning.
The capacity projections did not factor in the 200 middle school students and the 400 high school students who will likely attend new schools built in south Highland Ranch in upcoming years.
A middle school/high school campus is planned for the corner of McArthur Ranch Road and Quebec Street. The middle school opens in 2003, and the high school opens the following year.
Boundary lines have yet to be drawn for new schools, but the attendance area will dip into the northern Castle Rock area.
Bell said students who live north of Castle Pines Parkway will attend the new schools, while other neighborhoods in that area are being considered.
Whatever the new boundaries will be, they will provide relief to Douglas County High School, he said.
A new middle school and high school in Parker are not as urgent.
Parker high schools do not exceed capacity until 2006, but the middle schools exceed it in 2004. By 2006 the middle schools will have 150 extra students, which is still within the district's goal of schools staying within 110 percent of capacity.
Mobile classrooms can manage any school overcrowding, the five-year plan said.
Enrollment projections for the next five years show that Castle Rock will receive the largest percentage of growth, followed by Parker then Highlands Ranch.
The rate of growth in Highlands Ranch, which has been the fastest-growing area in the district for a number of years, has slowed primarily because the area is nearing buildout, district officials said.
"The rings of growth emanate closest to Denver. The first ring was in Highlands Ranch, where the bulk of growth happened, but now those rings are expanding out to Castle Rock and Parker," said district spokesperson Bruce Caughey.
In its annual five-year facility plan, the district's long-range planning committee studied enrollment patterns to predict when the district's schools will reach capacity.
The plan recommends that the Douglas County Board of Education consider building an additional middle school and high school in Castle Rock and Parker in future bond elections. While mobile classrooms can manage Parker-area schools for the next five years, capacity in Castle Rock schools is an ever-growing problem that is predicted to worsen with time.
Projections show that Castle Rock's Douglas County High School and Castle Rock Middle School will each be more than 200 students above capacity this year and will increase to 430 students above capacity in 2006.
"The numbers are not as bad as they look," said Tom Bell, director of planning.
The capacity projections did not factor in the 200 middle school students and the 400 high school students who will likely attend new schools built in south Highland Ranch in upcoming years.
A middle school/high school campus is planned for the corner of McArthur Ranch Road and Quebec Street. The middle school opens in 2003, and the high school opens the following year.
Boundary lines have yet to be drawn for new schools, but the attendance area will dip into the northern Castle Rock area.
Bell said students who live north of Castle Pines Parkway will attend the new schools, while other neighborhoods in that area are being considered.
Whatever the new boundaries will be, they will provide relief to Douglas County High School, he said.
A new middle school and high school in Parker are not as urgent.
Parker high schools do not exceed capacity until 2006, but the middle schools exceed it in 2004. By 2006 the middle schools will have 150 extra students, which is still within the district's goal of schools staying within 110 percent of capacity.
Mobile classrooms can manage any school overcrowding, the five-year plan said.
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