MESA, AZ — As more school districts across the Valley are looking to close campuses due to lower enrollment, Arizona’s largest school district is looking to open two new high schools next year.
Mesa Public Schools is also experiencing a decline in student enrollment, needing to cut jobs as well as getting rid of some portables and downsize space that’s no longer needed. Despite this, the district’s governing board voted to create two new small high schools and open them in the fall.
It wouldn’t be two brand new buildings for these high schools. Instead, the district will be expanding two of its current junior highs to include high school grades. The two schools would be Shepherd and Franklin High Schools, expanding in their current middle school capacities.
As they work to move forward with declining enrollment and lower funds, Superintendent Dr. Matt Strom told ABC15 they’re trying to give parents more choices, and that parents asked the district for smaller high school options.
With Arizona being a school choice state where families can decide to enroll their students in any school, Strom said they’re working to tap into that market and attract more students to come to their district while also finding ways to efficiently use their space.
“We continue to understand that there are more choice options within our boundaries and beyond our boundaries,” Strom continued. “When you're in a market and you're trying to attract people into your system, what you want to do is you want to understand that market and find out what we'd call where the white noise is to fill in gaps. We think that we have an opportunity to get some students back into the district in a small high school environment."
Tatum, an 8th grader at Franklin Jr. High, told ABC15 she’s excited to continue her education in the same school she’s been at for years.
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"I like the idea of it being a smaller high school because then the teachers can help us be more focused on what we need and want,” she said.
Mom Nikki Owens also wanted Franklin to expand into a high school, thinking it might be a better fit for her daughter.
“One of the high schools is as big as my hometown,” she said of another Mesa high school. “It’s a little intimidating for some kids, so I feel like having the choice, they can grow and learn and what works best for them.”
What does small look like for a high school? Strom said they plan to have at most 150 students per grade level at each high school. Currently, their smallest population high school is Skyline at more than 1,800 students.
The plan is to start the high school with only 9th graders at each campus and build up each grade level in the following years.
