At Monday’s meeting, KASB (Kansas Association of School Boards) Research Specialist, Ted Carter, went over the high points of the five-year enrollment projection study for Wamego’s USD 320. Earlier this year, the Board authorized Superintendent Denise O’Dea to seek an enrollment study from the KASB to assist the Board in making a decision on the Districts facility needs going forward.
According to Carter’s study, which is based on the available data related to resident live births by county and previous school year enrollments, student enrollment in Wamego is expected to increase from 1,600 students in 2014-15 to approximately 1,700 students in 2017-18, then decrease to 1,650 students in 2019-20. He said the numbers suggest that all schools will follow this trend except for West Elementary, which is expected to see continued growth throughout the period. He added that with the anticipated addition of a total of 300 new housing units within the district, the enrollment can be expected to increase to about 1,850 students in 2017-18, then decrease to 1,825 by the 2019-20 school year.
