Lack of space is the one of the most significant issues facing WHS.  When the last renovation was performed in the 1990s, enrollment was approximately 600 students.  During the 2006/2007 school year, Wayland High School served over 900 students.  Looking at the number of children currently in the school system, enrollment projections are between 850-950 for about the next 15 years.  Beyond that, the picture is not clear, but enrollment has been as low as 600 and as high as 1300.

Lack of space is the one of the most significant issues facing WHS.  When the last renovation was performed in the 1990s, enrollment was approximately 600 students.  During the 2006/2007 school year, Wayland High School served over 900 students.  Looking at the number of children currently in the school system, enrollment projections are between 850-950 for about the next 15 years.  Beyond that, the picture is not clear, but enrollment has been as low as 600 and as high as 1300. 

The result is that most classrooms are too small, they are overused, and there is insufficient common and storage space.  The NEASC called the overcrowding “severe” and said that “the athletic facilities are inadequate and compromise the program” and “the Little Theater seats only 1/3 of the student body.”   

Classrooms are woefully undersized.  Many of them are more than 30% smaller than the former state minimum and 40% smaller than the new regulations, even though class sizes range up to 29 students.  According to the NEASC, the classrooms are “too small and crowded to accommodate the implementation of active learning strategies essential to the instruction of adolescents.” 

The high utilization of classrooms means it is not possible to schedule study halls or designate study areas.  There is inadequate space for collaborative student activities and special education programs.  There is no time for teachers to set up classrooms, so the lesson plans are being compromised, particularly in the area of science.  As the facility becomes increasingly crowded, subject area “reference centers” have been eliminated and converted to office or classroom space.  At WHS, students are not scheduled 100% of their day giving them time to meet with peers or teachers.  While this is a key feature of the program, it is compromised by the lack of space for these activities.