North Clackamas School District outlines enrollment capacity plans for 2023-2024

The North Clackamas School District (NCSD) Board convened on March 13, 2025, to discuss critical enrollment projections and new course proposals for the upcoming academic year. The meeting focused on ensuring that the district can accommodate student transfers while maintaining optimal class sizes and school capacities.

The first agenda item addressed the projected enrollment allocations for the 2025-2026 school year. The district plans to begin evaluating enrollment requests on August 15, 2025, to prevent exceeding school capacities. Schools identified as over capacity will be closed to new transfers for the duration of the school year. A color-coded chart was presented, indicating which schools could accept new students, with green indicating available slots and red indicating full capacity.

The board discussed specific numbers for available slots across various grade levels, with elementary schools proposing five slots per grade, while middle and high schools had slightly different allocations. The district aims to balance incoming and outgoing transfer requests, with historical data showing a steady enrollment despite a higher number of students requesting to leave the district compared to those wishing to enter.

Board members raised questions about flexibility in class sizes and the implications of projected enrollment numbers on school capacity. It was noted that while the district has some leeway in handling hardship requests, the approved slot numbers would remain fixed once established.

The meeting also included a presentation on a new course proposal, introduced by Petra Collin, the executive director of secondary programs. The proposal aims to enhance equitable access to educational opportunities and support post-secondary success for students. The board was informed that the last course proposal was presented in 2020, highlighting the importance of this initiative.

In conclusion, the NCSD Board's discussions emphasized the need for careful planning regarding student enrollment and the introduction of new educational programs. The board will reconvene in April to vote on the proposed enrollment slots and further discuss the new course offerings.