Consultant: Bentonville district to add roughly 4,000 students over next decade; elementary and middle schools will see most growth

Summary

RSP and Associates told the Bentonville School District board that enrollment is expected to grow by about 4,000 students in 10 years, with elementary grades gaining about 1,500, middle grades 500–600 and high school about 300; infrastructure, housing yield and open‑enrollment shifts will shape where growth occurs.

Jenna Wallace, a consultant with RSP and Associates, told the Bentonville School District Board of Education on Oct. 9 that the district is projected to add roughly 4,000 students over the next 10 years, with enrollment growth concentrated at the elementary and middle-school levels.

Wallace said the district could see an elementary-level increase of about 1,500 students, a middle/junior high rise of about 500–600 students and high school growth of about 300. "We do have the district continuing to grow," Wallace said. "We have enrollment growth of over 4,000 students over these next 10 years."

The projection incorporates birth‑rate trends, recent housing activity and student movement, Wallace said. RSP uses more than 500 planning areas — smaller than census blocks — to estimate how many students individual neighborhoods will yield. Wallace said live births and under‑5 population trends correlate with future kindergarten classes; RSP’s modeling assumes a stable market share…

Consultant: Bentonville district to add roughly 4,000 students over next decade; elementary and middle schools will see most growth

Summary

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