Enrollment in Harford County Public Schools stood at 38,027 students as of September 30, 2010, a decline of 164 students from 2009, and continuing a trend of flat enrollment over the past several years. According to 2010 data released by the school system, overall public school capacity in the county currently exceeds enrollment by nearly 5,400 seats, but pockets of overcrowding persist, primarily in the elementary schools.
Six elementary schools, Emmorton, Prospect Mill, Forest Lakes, Hickory, Youth’s Benefit and Homestead Wakefield are currently over 100% of capacity. Redistricting and the opening of a new school at Red Pump are planned for next year to bring crowded elementary schools below capacity and to balance elementary enrollment countywide.
Among the nine public middle schools in the county, only Patterson Mill is over capacity at 106%, while Havre de Grace and Magnolia have the lowest enrollment at 68% of capacity in each school.
In high school, two out of ten public schools are overcrowded – Harford Technical, which accepts students by application, is at 111% of capacity, and Patterson Mill is at 104%. Edgewood and Fallston High Schools have the lowest enrollment as a percent of capacity, at 70% and 73% respectively.
Below is the data on school enrollment, capacity and projections provided to the Harford County Board of Education on November 22, 2010. Please note that elementary school projections are based on current school boundaries and are subject to change following redistricting. Projections at all levels include boundary exceptions in the calculation of trend data. State rated capacity is adjusted annually at each school where changes occur in building utilization.
Please see related story on class size.
The STAC and BOE ignored the numbers during the secondary redistricting 4 years ago which projected that in 2010, Patterson Mill MS/HS would be overcapacity, Fallston HS would be well under capacity, and Bel Air HS would not have sufficient open seats to host the planned Medical Arts magnet program without forcing an overcapacity situation there upon its eventual implemented.
The sad part is that they could have done a more efficient and effective redistricting job back then by simply moving less students.
If the concerns we shared with the STAC and BOE back then were heard, they were not heeded. The Sept. 30, 2010 enrollment numbers finally prove what was obvious back then.
I hope for better results for a long term solution with the upcoming elementary redistricting process.