How can the school be crowded today when there were 1,300 students in the 1970’s? At 1,300 students, Wayland High School was very crowded. Since then, nearly 40% of available classroom space had to be converted to other uses, such as computer labs. Also, today’s students demand more space because they take more academic classes and participate in more co-curriculars than students did in the 1970’s. The result is that by today’s standards, Wayland High School would be appropriate for 700 students, not the 903 it currently serves.

If enrollment is declining, why do we need more space at the high school? See the question above. Enrollment peaked in the 1970s at 1,300, declined to around 600 in the late 1980s, and climbed back up over 900 in the mid 2000s. It is declining now but is projected to remain between 800-900 for about the next ten years.

If we build for 900, what if enrollment rises again? Is the building expandable? A school designed for 900 students can always accommodate a few more, though it is less than ideal. If enrollment rose above 1,000 there would probably be a need for additional classrooms. The design includes several possible locations for adding classrooms, and a future gymnasium.

Have we done enrollment projections? The School Department and the MSBA studied Wayland’s enrollment carefully. Click here for the November 2008 Enrollment Presentation to MSBA and the MSBA Enrollment Projection for Wayland,spring 2009.

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