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Districtmaster-plan update: consultants flag elementary growth, middle-school imbalances and sufficient high-school capacity
Summary
Consultants presented a facilities master-plan baseline showing modest elementary growth driven by larger birth cohorts, a midterm dip and rebound at middle-school level with notable capacity imbalance between two middle schools, and no near-term capacity shortfall at Ridgefield High School.
Consultants from Kier and MP Planning Group delivered a facilities master-plan briefing to the Ridgefield Board of Education on Oct. 27, presenting 10-year enrollment projections and a detailed capacity (space-utilization) inventory.
Key takeaway: elementary enrollment is expected to grow modestly over the next decade (roughly a 5% districtwide increase in elementary grades) driven by larger birth cohorts documented in state data. The consulting team presented three projection scenarios (low/medium/high), with the medium scenario projecting district K-12 enrollment to hover near the present range and elementary seats to increase slightly because of recent birth-rate upticks.
Middle-school enrollment is forecast to dip in the near term and rebound later in the projection window. The consultants highlighted a persistent imbalance between the districtEast Ridge and Scotsridge middle schoolsexplaining that East Ridge's building contains more full-size rooms and extras (two art rooms, additional music rooms and flex spaces), producing a planning capacity estimated at ~670 students versus ~590 at Scotsridge. That discrepancy, the consultants said, creates ongoing pressure on program balance and may require board decisions about feeder patterns, team sizes or longer-term facility options.
Ridgefield High School, by contrast, has a planning capacity of about 1,840 seats; the consultants' midline projections place high-school utilization in the 70%-76% range across the 10-year horizon, meaning consultants did not identify a near-term capacity shortage at RHS.
Methodology: presenters described a multi-step capacity calculation that inventories classroom types, applies program standards (e.g., dedicated full-size rooms for specials, OT/PT and resource rooms), and uses efficiency/loading factors (elementary loading level ~20 students/classroom and an 85% efficiency factor to reflect neighborhood-based schools). They emphasized that modern educational programs need more small-group and intervention spaces than older building designs provided.
Board discussion focused on implications and next steps: whether to pursue feeder-pattern/redistricting options, whether to consider K-2/3-5 configurations to increase flexibility, and how to prioritize capital investments (e.g., addressing Farmingville's programmatic deductions for missing maker and small-group spaces). Board members and the consultants agreed the master-plan process will now move toward option development, prioritization and integration with a capital plan and condition assessments.
The consultants urged that policy and educational goals (class-size decisions, preschool expansion, special-education case loads) be considered alongside building changes, and the board scheduled follow-up work and public engagement as part of the master-plan timeline.
