More than half of South Bend schools are under-enrolled. What does that mean for planning?

SOUTH BEND — As planners for South Bend schools prepare to present their latest ideas next week to reshape a public corporation declining in enrollment, one key area of focus will be how to balance the enrollment of students across more than two dozen schools in the city.

The South Bend district has lost thousands of students over the years and has gone through major restructuring — notably with 2002's Plan Z and, years later, with Focus 2018.

Now, serving 2,000 students fewer than it did in 2018, the district is once again preparing for a major transition that could see students reassigned to different schools and possibly some building closures, although, planners say, nothing is decided.

What's next?South Bend district eyes middle schools in facility planning

The district closed its Hay and Tarkington elementaries in 2021 and worked last fall to finalize a sale of its downtown administration building to the city for $2.8 million.

At the core of proposals to be finalized this spring is how best to spend more than $30 million of the district's $54 million capital referendum set aside to "right size" the district.

Any changes will need school board approval, and facility planners say they anticipate bringing recommendations in mid-March. A first look at some of their latest ideas will be provided during school board and community meetings next week.

So what does school enrollment look like in each South Bend building and why does it matter?

South Bend enrollment varies by school

Overall enrollment across the South Bend school corporation has been on a steady decline for years. But not all schools have felt the loss in the same way.

Through a number of specialty education programs, called magnets, the district offers a high level of choice to families seeking out specific areas of study for their children.

Washington High School, for example, offers a medical magnet program to students across the corporation, while Nuner Fine Arts Academy offers early exploration of music, dance and visual arts at the elementary level.

Families from across the city can apply into these programs, driving movement of students across the district. Maps provided by the South Bend school corporation highlight how far students travel to attend several schools with specialty programs.

Although some schools have seen their enrollment drop significantly over the years, others are bursting at the seams.

Adams High School and McKinley Elementary, for example, are enrolling more students this year than their building's determined capacity, according to planners. Clay, Riley and LaSalle, on the other hand, are less than half full.

Districtwide, eight of 15 elementary schools and four of seven middle schools are enrolled below 75% capacity.

What do these trends mean for future building use? Planners haven't revealed their specific ideas for change yet. However, administrators have consistently stated they believe programs should drive any next steps in student assignments.

Planners have worked over the last year to consider a variety of factors, such as programming, school size, student enrollment and building amenities. Early ideas for change centered around high school use. Consultants for the corporation have, however, in recent months shifted their attention to district feeder patterns and students' transition from primary to secondary schools.

Across the district, about 79% of elementary school space is being used and just under 65% is used for both middle and high schools.

Realigning student assignments, however, could be dependent not only on what number of classroom seats are available, but also on whether a building has enough gymnasium or theater space to sustain the addition of new students.

Planners say they are also taking location into consideration. Should each part of the city have access to similar programming? Can elementary school magnet programs better align with high school offerings in the area?

Good planning also means finding a balance within existing buildings. After schools are realigned, consultants say, it is best to leave some room for flexibility within schools. A district with all of its schools at capacity wouldn't be able to sustain potential enrollment growth.

A sweet spot for planning is to fill buildings between 80% to 85% capacity, said Tracy Richter, a facilities consultant to the South Bend district.

The map below shows capacity within each school in the South Bend district. Schools shaded pink or red are above the consulting group's recommended enrollment, while schools shaded blue are below recommendations. Schools in green — which include Couillard, Wilson, Jefferson and Navarre — fall within or near the consultant's guidance.

South Bend administrators and consultants say they are interested in hearing from the community before making any decisions but stressed that they don't want to draw out the process much longer.

Each passing week leaves more time for questions to grow about the future of the district.

"We don't want to create a situation where families have anxiety about what's going to happen," Assistant Superintendent Kareemah Fowler told The Tribune last week. "It's time to come up with a comprehensive plan and lay that plan out and lay the trajectory for the corporation for the next 10 years."

Mark your calendar

The district's facility planning team is sharing a series of ways to learn more about their work before any decisions are made. The team has scheduled multiple opportunities for public input between giving an initial school board presentation in early February and making their final recommendations in late March.

• Feb. 6: Initial school board presentation at 5:30 p.m. in the South Bend Administration Building; an online survey will be shared at this time.

• Feb. 7: Planners will have two community meetings at both Dickinson and Edison. The first of each set of meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. The second will begin at 7 p.m. Planners say these meetings will be identical.

• Feb. 8: Planners will have two community meetings at both Jackson and Clay International Academy. The first of each set of meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. The second will begin at 7 p.m. These meetings also will be identical.

• Feb. 13-17: Planners will schedule small group, virtual community meetings during this window. Interested community members can register through the online survey launched in early February.

• March 6-10: The district’s facility planning task force will meet during this week. An exact date and time are forthcoming.

• March 20: Planners will give their final recommendations to the school board in its regularly scheduled meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Clay High School.

Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Carley Lanich at clanich@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @carleylanich.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Which South Bend schools serve the most students? Here's what data shows.