Growth & the Master Plan
Jack and Kate joined me at the McCall E-Wing open house, Fall 2009. Since this photo, the number of kids in my family grew by 50% while the district saw sharp enrollment growth, contraction, then growth again. These two are now 23 and 20 years old. Don't blink! They grow up fast. (photo credit: Ann Ringwood, Winchester Star)
Will Enrollment keep going up? Yup.
With few exceptions, we've seen annual growth in overall enrollment since 2000. In fact, from 2003 to 2012-- a decade that saw K-12 enrollment fall statewide-- Winchester's grew by nearly 30%! However, 2012 is a distant memory in the rearview mirror. We expected to see enrollment drop due to COVID but were surprised that we did not see the sharp return expected in the fall of 2022. Since then, our enrollment curve has finally swung upward (see chart, bottom left).
Next year's WHS enrollment will be the highest ever following the 2016-2018 reconstruction, exceeding the design enrollment of the building. New multi-unit housing continues to bring new families with children to Winchester. We are happy to have them, but must carefully plan for what resources are needed.
40B & Other Residential Development
Looking back to the Master Plan development from 2016 to 2017 (see below), some expected projects such as Sanctuary West moved forward to completion. Although the largest and most concerning developments (such as the 300+ unit Holton Street project) fizzled out, others like River Street came into the pipeline unexpected and are now welcoming new families. Housing development is happening in Winchester and it is bringing more students into our district.
I'm excited for these kids. They are going to get a great education here, but we have to be sure we have the spaces and resources for them. With the 2019 expansion at McCall Middle School, we have space to handle a reasonable growth. Although Winchester High School faces its largest enrollment in 2025-26 since project completion in 2018, the New Lynch school is going to accommodate not just the kids displaced over the past five years, but also our projected neighborhood growth, including increases due to new residential development.
In partnering with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) on the Lynch project, I've had the opportunity to work with senior Town staff to make strong cases for school capacity in Winchester. Our collective careful planning and thoughtful data collection have made an impression on the MSBA, as they have been receptive to "counting" a number of projects as likely even though shovels are not yet in the ground. For an idea of how projects of varying sizes impact enrollment, take a look at the memo, at left.
WPS Master Plan
Flansburgh Architects, 2017
We do good job of updating our Facilities Master Plan every decade or so. This Master Plan approved in 2017 has driven design, engineering & construction at McCall, Muraco, and Lynch. A successor Master Plan is now underway with a Phase I enrollment study just released to the School Committee & EFPBC.
10-Year WPS Facilities Master Plan... and a new one!
From 2016 to 2017, the School Committee commissioned an update to the district's 10-Year Facilities Master Plan. I was pleased to be the School Committee liaison for the project, which engaged representatives from multiple Town departments, committees and boards. This creative and collaborative team developed a 540-page resource to guide the district's 5- and 10-year capital plans. To see the existing 2017 Plan, click the link above or image at right.
Though the current Master Plan is only eight years old, in 2024 Town Meeting funded an update to be completed 2024-2025. Phase I-- an updated enrollment study by the UMass Donahue Institute-- was conducted this fall and winter as was just released in a joint meeting of the School Committee and EFPBC on Monday, February 24. The study projects 6% to 7.5% growth in K-12 enrollment by 2030 with additional growth to 2035.
