District 225 conducts annual enrollment projections each fall, to help plan educational offerings for the high school students of Glenview and Northbrook for future academic years. District leaders utilize this data to make decisions regarding staffing, facilities, and finances.
District projections for one-to-three-year periods of time have been remarkably reliable. This fall's data shows more stability in student enrollment at GBN than previous projections indicated, forecasting a population that hovers just above 2,000 for the next few years.
The district has been carefully monitoring the growing student population at GBS, and while the enrollment will continue to increase, the growth may be slightly less than originally forecasted. The population at GBS is projected to peak at 3,125 students by 2019-2020, and then starts to decrease and stabilize to approximately 2,900 students in subsequent years.
"We are confident that our schools will be able to handle the current projected enrollments without significant changes to our structure or practices. However, a growing student population is a complex and dynamic challenge that warrants constant monitoring and evaluation," said Superintendent Dr. Mike Riggle. "We have positioned ourselves very well financially for this challenge and we are confident that any enrollment issues can be properly addressed without asking the community for additional support."
In conjunction with enrollment projections, the district periodically studies the capacity of its buildings and the learning environments provided for students. Based on current staffing formulas, the number and types of classrooms, and the daily schedule operated by each school, GBS has an estimated operational capacity of 3,100 students and GBN an operational capacity of 2,400.
"Ultimately, we want students who are slated to attend GBS in the future, to join us as Titans and receive the same great educational experiences our graduates have enjoyed," said GBS Principal Dr. Brian Wegley. "Our general purpose classrooms can accommodate the growing student population. However, we will need to consider a few permanent and perhaps a few temporary facility modifications, to maintain capacity in science labs and specialty courses, until the numbers begin to stabilize."
The Board of Education will continue to discuss enrollment projections throughout the fall and will consider if any additional actions need to be considered in an effort to maintain the integrity of Glenbrook programs.
