Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Enrollment Projections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
South Madison projects fall enrollment at about 4,569; district capacity at 84%
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Hall told the South Madison Community School Corporation board that fall projections show 4,569 students districtwide (including nonresident students), leaving district capacity at roughly 84% and prompting continued reliance on a demographer’s 10‑year forecast.
Superintendent Dr. Hall reported projected student counts for the 2025–26 school year and said the district is not facing immediate overcrowding.
Dr. Hall told the South Madison Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees the district expects about 1,372 students at Pendleton Heights High School, 701 at the middle school, 677 at East Elementary, 860 at Maple Ridge and 959 at the Pendleton campus, for a district total of about 4,569 students including nonresident enrollments. He said the district has capacity for 5,450 students, which places the system at roughly 84% utilization with current projections.
Dr. Hall said nonresident students make a notable difference in building utilization: without nonresident students the districtwide utilization would be about 73%. "If we were running without the nonresident students, we'd be at 76%" at the high school, he said, and he gave similar percent estimates for other buildings.
The superintendent described the district's demographer as closely tracking actual enrollments. Dr. Hall noted the demographer’s 10‑year forecast projected 1,392 students at the high school and said the consultant remains within roughly 20 students of current counts: "He's within 20 kids out of almost 1,400, so that's pretty accurate," Dr. Hall said. He added the demographer guaranteed a margin of error of about 2% over the 10‑year window and recommended the board continue to rely on that forecast to guide planning.
Dr. Hall reviewed capacity and nonresident counts by building and highlighted demographic shifts that affect short‑term space needs. He pointed out Maple Ridge will lose a particularly large class after next year and that some kindergarten class sizes at Pendleton are temporarily larger because a number of nonresident students are placed there in kindergarten before moving to East in first grade. He also noted that new housing in the Hunsicker Farms area contributed to forecast variance at Pendleton.
The presentation did not include a formal board action; Dr. Hall invited questions and said he would continue to field follow‑up inquiries about the forecast and building assignments.
Board members did not take a vote on enrollment projections at the meeting.
