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District unveils draft attendance boundaries for Beech Tree Elementary and Midtown Middle; public meetings set
Summary
Numerix and district staff presented an initial student-assignment plan to open Beech Tree Elementary (K–5) and Midtown Middle (6–8) for 2026–27, showing relief for overcrowded schools and a schedule of community meetings before board action in November and December.
Berkeley County School District staff and consultant Numerix presented a draft student-assignment plan to the school board that redraws elementary and middle school attendance boundaries to open two new schools in 2026–27: Beech Tree Elementary and Midtown Middle.
Numerix said the plan aims to relieve severe overcrowding at several elementary schools, notably Cane Bay Elementary (calculated utilization about 162% based on current membership and design capacity) and Fox Bank Elementary (about 131% utilization). The draft assigns portions of existing school zones to the new schools; Beech Tree Elementary is shown in the presentation with a planned capacity of about 1,393 students and Midtown Middle with a planned capacity of about 1,193.
Mike Miller of Numerix walked the board through maps and 10-year forecasts. The presentation included projected membership for 2026–27 and 2028–29 for impacted schools, and proposed local adjustments such as moving small segments between Carolyn Lewis, College Park, Sangaree, Moncks Corner, Whitesville and Boulder Bluff to better balance utilization and bus routing.
Board members asked detailed operational questions about feeder patterns, high-school alignment and transportation. Numerix and staff said high-school boundaries were not changed in the initial draft; some middle-school catchments will remain split to accommodate capacity and growth. Staff acknowledged the plan increases the number of distinct catchment areas from 32 to 34.
District staff said community engagement will follow this presentation: neighborhood meetings are planned throughout October (Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays) to gather feedback. The district expects to bring a first board action on attendance boundaries in November and a second action to finalize lines in December, with the goal of completing lines before the 2026–27 school year.
No vote was taken on the draft at this meeting; the presentation was informational and intended to start public engagement.
Key numbers presented: Cane Bay Elementary calculated capacity 917 with an estimated membership near 1,500 (utilization ~162%); Fox Bank Elementary utilization ~131%; Beech Tree Elementary proposed capacity 1,393; Midtown Middle proposed capacity 1,193. The district’s 10-year K–12 forecast shows continued growth, driven in part by increasing resident live births and development in areas such as Carolyn Lewis/Karnes Crossroads.
Board members asked the district to provide additional context on building capacities (square footage, program differences) and to make feeder-pattern impacts clear during community meetings.
The primary contact on the presentation was Diane Triggers; Numerix’s Mike Miller presented the scenarios and answered technical questions.
