Projected enrollment numbers shows Iowa City will pass new high school target

The Iowa City Community School District will pass the threshold of students set by the school board to begin working on a new high school by the 2015-16 school year.

This is according to a projected enrollment report released by the district and prepared by the University of Iowa Department of Geography, which indicates the school district will continue to be one of the fastest-growing in the state through the 2016-17 school year. The report is on the agenda for the district's next school board meeting at 6 p.m. next Tuesday, April 17.

The school district's current policy is that it will begin budgeting and designing a third district high school once three-year high school enrollment projections reach the 3,750 mark. The report indicates enrollment will exceed that by 29 students come the 2015-16 school year.

That policy was set by a previous school board, however that is not a guarantee that the current school board will follow it to the letter, said Assistant Superintendent Ann Feldmann.

Some members of the current board previously have suggested researching alternatives to a third high school, such as a magnet school.

Feldmann indicated the board will discuss the subject during their Tuesday meeting.

Overall high school enrollment currently stands at 3,459 students.

The report indicates overall district enrollment will rise to 13,391 by 2016-17, an increase of 1,344 over current levels. Elementary schools will receive the largest portion of that growth, increasing by 783 students to 7,596 students.

One of the focal areas of that growth is Garner Elementary school, which looks to top 700 students during the next five years. The school is relatively new, having just opened during the 2010-11 school year, but already is at 425 students and close to its capacity, according to Feldmann.

The report notes its projected count for the last two years was less than the eventual actual enrollment count. Numbers for this year were under by 1.9 percent, and the 2010-11 school year numbers were under by 3.9 percent.

Click here to read the full meeting agenda on the school district's website.