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Facilities study: Paramount Unified middle schools are underused; PBK urges careful planning for campus reunification
Summary
A PBK utilization study presented to the board found district-wide capacity of ~16,000 vs projected enrollment ~11,250 (70% utilization), with middle schools at ~54% utilization and high schools at ~82%; PBK said reunifying west and senior high campuses could be feasible but would require added counseling, VAPA and dining/circulation solutions.
PBK Architects presented a district facilities utilization study at the July 17 Paramount Unified board meeting that shows a mixed picture: district-wide capacity of roughly 16,000 seats against projected enrollment near 11,250 — a calculated utilization of about 70 percent — with middle schools notably underused.
"Middle school numbers are the most sobering," PBK planning director Josh Jackson told the board. He said the firm projects about 3,080 middle-school students against capacity over 5,600 seats, a modeled utilization near 54 percent that could fall below 50 percent by 2028–29 under current projections. Elementary schools were shown at roughly 70 percent utilization and high schools near 82 percent.
PBK also analyzed the possibility of reuniting the high-school west campus with the senior campus. Using the district's loading standards, PBK estimated the senior campus has nearly 3,400 assigned seats; accommodating the west-campus cohort would push utilization to about 97 percent in the short term (indicating crowding) but could be more feasible in two to three years as enrollment shifts.
Jackson flagged several non-classroom constraints that would need addressing if consolidation occurred: counseling and wellness spaces (counselors, psych services, nursing), visual and performing-arts (VAPA) facilities, cafeteria seating and parking/circulation for staff and families. He suggested short-term solutions such as grab-and-go dining and shuttle or satellite parking, and longer-term work to add entries or parking.
Board members asked for more detail; PBK said the study used third-party enrollment projections and the district's loading standards (including a 90 percent scheduling factor for middle and high schools to account for electives). PBK recommended the board consider the timing of capital investments and prioritize non-classroom spaces that support student services.
The presentation gave the board data to weigh possible consolidation or program changes and set the stage for further discussion in the facilities master-plan process.
