Kent Gardens Elementary among most crowded schools in FCPS, data shows

Kent Gardens Elementary School (via Google Maps) — Kent Gardens Elementary Faculty (by using Google Maps)

McLean family members are no strangers to overcrowded faculties.

The issues have been concentrated in the McLean Superior Faculty pyramid, where the household of the Highlanders and feeder university Kent Gardens Elementary have been about ability for the previous ten years.

At 121{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} capacity, Kent Gardens is dealing with a single of the greatest space deficits in the county, trailing only Wakefield Forest Elementary College (132{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf}) and Oakton Superior University (125{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf}), according to Fairfax County Public Schools’ proposed Funds Advancement Application for fiscal several years 2023-2027.

Potential Deficits Projected to Carry on

Kent Gardens experienced 1,023 college students to commence this school 12 months in a making designed for up to 896 pupils. The school’s profile suggests that enrollment has dipped to 1,019 college students as of November.

There are presently 11 short-term lecture rooms on website, with the most latest addition of trailers coming in the course of the 2019-2020 college year.

According to the CIP, Kent Gardens has been in excess of capability because at the very least 2012, when it experienced 906 learners and was at 111{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} ability. Whilst enrollment is expected to decline more than the following five a long time, the faculty will still be at 118{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} ability with 1,003 students by the 2026-2027 university yr.

McLean Significant College has had more pupils than program potential since the 2011-2012 faculty year. The introduction of a 12-classroom modular before this yr served slash the capacity deficit from 118{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} previous 12 months to 107{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} this fall, although enrollment appears to have developed from 2,347 college students in September to 2,366 learners, as of November.

McLean High School pyramid capacity projections through SY 2026-2027 (via FCPS) — Enrollment projections for the McLean Higher School pyramid through school yr 2026-2027 (via FCPS)

FCPS claims it is monitoring the school’s ability right after employing a phased boundary adjustment in September that moved an estimated 190 superior college college students and 78 middle college students to the Langley Significant School pyramid.

Even so, the CIP signifies that overcrowding will persist at the very least by means of 2026-2027, when 2,317 learners are projected to be enrolled and the faculty will be at 105{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} or 121{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} ability, dependent on regardless of whether the modular is nevertheless in position.

What FCPS Is Performing

FCPS claims it is analyzing five attainable alternatives for addressing overcrowding at Kent Gardens:

Increase performance by reassigning educational spaces inside of a faculty
Doable program adjustments
Repurpose current faculty services not now getting made use of as colleges or build a new college facility
Potential improvement by means of either a modular or setting up addition
Prospective boundary adjustment with other educational facilities discovered as acquiring a ability surplus

According to a spokesperson, FCPS has revised its Twin Language Immersion Lottery to take additional college students in Kent Gardens’ boundaries, commencing with the 2022-2023 university yr. The adjust will boost the school’s system capacity of 848 pupils, if not its style ability.

With Tysons expected to double its inhabitants around the next handful of many years and downtown McLean gearing for considerable redevelopment, FCPS is making ready for the influx of people by developing new elementary universities in Dunn Loring and Tysons, along with repurposing the Pimmit Hills Heart.

The reduction promised by those tasks will not occur for a even though, though. Construction on Dunn Loring Elementary Faculty isn’t envisioned to end until 2026, and FCPS isn’t organizing to request funding for the Tysons and Pimmit Hills schools until 2027.

It also remains to be found who will profit from the new universities, since they will not be assigned pyramids until finally boundary scientific tests can be conducted, which takes place to the end of construction, in accordance to FCPS.

The Langley and Marshall superior university pyramids, which provide the McLean and Tysons spots, respectively, aren’t experiencing the exact crowding as McLean, while Spring Hill Elementary School is projected to achieve 101{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} capability in 2026-2027.