Harrisonburg City School Board takes further look at school overcrowding

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — School overcrowding and student enrollment projections were among several agenda items at Tuesday night’s Harrisonburg City School Board meeting.

The meeting began with a recent update on Welcome Center trends, indicating a loss of capacity and a greater need for preschool in the area than available spaces. As of Aug. 24, the Welcome Center said it had more than 450 applications for pre-kindergarten students, the most applicants since the 2018-2019 school year. However, the lowest enrollment numbers over the past seven years are due to a lack of capacity to accommodate students.

The board also received numbers from City Hall on different residential development projects that are looming for possible approval and projects that are currently under construction. Some board members had concerns about enrollment numbers if one-time housing projects were approved, such as the proposed Quarry Heights, which could bring an additional 950 units to Harrisonburg.

During the meeting, Superintendent Michael Richards said the board would decide at a future meeting whether or not to move young students from across the city into Bluestone Elementary School. This comes after Keister, Smithland, Stone Spring and Waterman elementary schools were deemed overcrowded. While none of the schools rose to the level of needing staggered schedules or mobile outdoor classrooms like Harrisonburg High School did prior to the opening of Rocktown High School, HCPS has taken steps to address the issue.

The board says it will continue to discuss and develop a plan to address overcrowding in the city’s school system.

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