The Redmond School District is reviewing its school attendance boundaries as the city grows and enrollment patterns change. The district, which has a total of 13 schools, says uneven housing development throughout the area has resulted in a higher enrollment at some elementary schools than others. Current projections show that Sage Elementary School is expected to reach approximately 120% of its capacity by 2030 and 126% by 2035. Tom McCall Elementary School is projected to reach 121% of capacity in 2030 and 129% by 2035. In contrast, Terrebonne Community School and Vern Patrick Elementary School are projected to remain below capacity throughout the forecast period. The District hasn’t updated school boundaries since Sage Elementary was built in 2010, with the exception of eliminating boundaries for Hugh Hartman dual language choice school.
In a news release, the Redmond School District said with a growth rate of 2.1% this year, it’s currently the only district among the 20 largest districts in the state showing positive enrollment growth. Last year, Redmond had the largest enrollment growth of 1% among the top 25 largest districts in the state.
During community meetings on March 16 and 17, the district revealed possible scenarios for new boundaries which can be found on its website. The district began the review in December, launching a community survey. In general, parents expressed concerns about how boundary changes would impact transportation, child care coordination and proximity to sibling schools. Parents of elementary school children emphasized the importance of established peer relationships and walkability. At the secondary level, parents were more concerned about extracurricular opportunities and preparation for future education.
The District partnered with MGT, an education consulting firm, to provide updated data driven enrollment forecasts in five and ten-year trends to help develop the potential boundary adjustment scenarios. The District says it will consider the proximity of schools to homes to allow walkability and consider transportation impacts to minimize disruptions to special Recommendations on new boundaries will be presented to the superintendent and the board of directors later this spring for a vote. Redmond School District Public Information Officer Logan McGinnis says any decisions made will not affect the next school year of 2026/27 because time will be needed to work out logistics such as staffing and school bus routes.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
