Enrollment declines again in District 203
Enrollment in Naperville Unit District 203 dropped by 176 students this fall, the fifth straight year of decline.
Overall enrollment, calculated at the end of September, came in at 18,268, down from 18,444 last year and falling in line with projections from the district's demographer.
"It's a build-out phenomenon," Superintendent Alan Leis said. "There's no new development in the district and the population is aging somewhat. The demographer said there would be gradual decline for a few years and then it will stabilize."
The district hired John Kasarda from the University of North Carolina last year to study enrollment and make predictions to help guide its facilities committee in how to proceed with renovations.
Naperville Central High School and Mill Street Elementary, which are key subjects of the facilities study, each saw enrollment fall. Central dropped to 3,056 students this year from 3,124.
Leis said the decline was expected at Central and already figured into the district's facility considerations, whether it decides to renovate or rebuild the school.
"We have always talked about renovating to 2,800 (students) and we still have 3,000," he said. "We never projected we would build or renovate to the current enrollment."
The district is considering three options for Central -- minor renovations for $6 million to $30 million; major renovations for about $72 million; or to rebuild the school for roughly $158 million to $168 million.
Enrollment at Mill Street, which also is dealing with space issues, dropped slightly to 779 students this year from 797. It is well below the projected 828 for this time but is predicted to seesaw over the next three years.
Leis said Naperville Park District's recent decision to purchase an additional 20 acres near Nike Park at Mill Street and Diehl Road leaves even less space that can be developed for housing near the school. That could help limit future enrollment increases at Mill Street.
The north-side school has the smallest amount of space per student at 81 square feet, compared to the district average of 111. The district is looking at two potential solutions -- renovating the school for about $11 million or changing school boundaries and doing $1 million in renovations.
While Central declined, Naperville North's enrollment actually increased this year to 3,086 from 3,065. Leis said North added two mobile classrooms to deal with additional students and scheduling issues.
North's enrollment is projected to decline over the next 10 years, but will do so more slowly than Central's.
By the numbers
Naperville Unit District 203 enrollment figures as of Sept. 28 show an overall decline.
Elementary 2007 2006
Beebe 758 758
Ellsworth 286 285
Elmwood 596 591
Highlands 615 637
Kingsley 604 636
Maplebrook 521 566
Meadow Glens 558 550
Mill Street 779 797
Naper 291 283
Prairie 528 557
Ranch View 518 534
River Woods 534 532
Scott 500 543
Steeple Run 602 634
Total* 7,690 7805
Junior high 2007 2006
Jefferson 922 933
Kennedy 1,141 1,115
Lincoln 939 930
Madison 797 819
Washington 592 591
Total* 4,391 4,388
High school 2007 2006
Central 3,056 3,124
North 3,086 3,065
Total 6,142 6,189
District* 18,268 18,444
*Totals at each grade level may not add up due to the way special education students are counted.