APS: Washington Liberty will be minimum 2700 students by 2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Midwestern high school in the 90's had 2,400 kids and it was fine. 2,700 is big but not ridiculous. Nobody wants to move out of W-L because they think Yorktown is too rich/white and Wakefield is too poor/brown. So this is what you get.

Sure but midwestern campus would have cheap and ample land for right size buildings and field space. And sure, 2400 is the schools current size, but 2700 is the future, likely eventually 3000

And Evanston Township High School, which is not rural at all, is 3700. You do what you can with the space available

https://www.eths.k12.il.us/domain/220

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Midwestern high school in the 90's had 2,400 kids and it was fine. 2,700 is big but not ridiculous. Nobody wants to move out of W-L because they think Yorktown is too rich/white and Wakefield is too poor/brown. So this is what you get.

Sure but midwestern campus would have cheap and ample land for right size buildings and field space. And sure, 2400 is the schools current size, but 2700 is the future, likely eventually 3000

And Evanston Township High School, which is not rural at all, is 3700. You do what you can with the space available

https://www.eths.k12.il.us/domain/220

Same with New Trier Township HS. And W-L actually has plenty of open field space surrounding the school. In addition to fields directly adjacent to the school, the fields at Quincy Park are owned by APS and used by the school for PE, athletics, and non sports activities. The school also uses the county maintained Oak Grove Park, also adjacent to the school campus.

[Anonymous]

Regarding the OP’s original question on common spaces, the W-L stadium has the highest capacity of any Arlington HS. It was designed about 25 years ago to be the largest in the county, as based both on the previous stadium and the expectation that W-L would remain the largest high school and continue to grow. Yorktown was always constrained by its small site, and thus has the smallest stadium.

[Anonymous]

A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

Isn’t Evanston Township HS 4000 students? That’s not a homogeneous school. Yet it’s one of the top high schools in the country and has been for quite some time now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

That’s literally what’s happening. They are moving Wakefield units to WL and YHS IB transfers are shrinking— this year there were many rejections in fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

That’s literally what’s happening. They are moving Wakefield units to WL and YHS IB transfers are shrinking— this year there were many rejections in fact.

The units they’re moving to W-L were at W-L, for multiple decades, until the last boundary process in the late 2010s. They’re PUs zoned to Fleet, one of the only South Arlington neighborhood schools that isn’t Title 1, so it’s not like they’re going to tank the school. And they may have reduced the number of YHS IB transfers, but they increased the Wakefield IB transfers to alleviate crowding there, and again, those kids are the higher performing kids zoned WHS, also not a detriment to the school’s economic balance or performance. Cool your jets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

That’s literally what’s happening. They are moving Wakefield units to WL and YHS IB transfers are shrinking— this year there were many rejections in fact.

1. Not surprised about this.
2. How do you know this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

That’s literally what’s happening. They are moving Wakefield units to WL and YHS IB transfers are shrinking— this year there were many rejections in fact.

1. Not surprised about this.
2. How do you know this?

If true it’s a shame APS is using IB to reduce overcrowding at Wakefield. The IB program at W-L was not designed for that. The lottery based admissions system was designed to give all 8th graders a fair chance at entry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

Wishful thinking on your part. The balance is already shifting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

Wishful thinking on your part. The balance is already shifting.

The demographic balance at W-L has been stable for many years even with neighborhood rezonings—those are the facts—and we won’t know if it is currently shifting until the next two years or so. But if APS keeps moving affluent neighborhoods away from the school to balance enrollment then of course new challenges would eventually emerge after a tipping point.

Neighborhoods with involved parents, where kids grow up through the system, provide stability and an environment where average kids can also succeed. APS should really strive to balance enrollment and demographics at all three high schools.

The priorities have changed however, and balanced demographics across APS may just be wishful thinking. I’m still surprised that the Courthouse and Rosslyn neighborhoods are still zoned to Yorktown and not the much closer W-L. They were already rezoned from Williamsburg MS to the closer Dorothy Hamm, so a rezoning to W-L may be on the horizon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

Wishful thinking on your part. The balance is already shifting.

The demographic balance at W-L has been stable for many years even with neighborhood rezonings—those are the facts—and we won’t know if it is currently shifting until the next two years or so. But if APS keeps moving affluent neighborhoods away from the school to balance enrollment then of course new challenges would eventually emerge after a tipping point.

Neighborhoods with involved parents, where kids grow up through the system, provide stability and an environment where average kids can also succeed. APS should really strive to balance enrollment and demographics at all three high schools.

The priorities have changed however, and balanced demographics across APS may just be wishful thinking. I’m still surprised that the Courthouse and Rosslyn neighborhoods are still zoned to Yorktown and not the much closer W-L. They were already rezoned from Williamsburg MS to the closer Dorothy Hamm, so a rezoning to W-L may be on the horizon.

They are adding 400 more kids, this is a deep dive into Wakefield zone to address growing SA. Past is not a prediction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

That’s literally what’s happening. They are moving Wakefield units to WL and YHS IB transfers are shrinking— this year there were many rejections in fact.

1. Not surprised about this.
2. How do you know this?

If true it’s a shame APS is using IB to reduce overcrowding at Wakefield. The IB program at W-L was not designed for that. The lottery based admissions system was designed to give all 8th graders a fair chance at entry.

Hasn’t it always been true that everyone got into IB who survived through the last minute ridiculous waitlist? Like, they were letting in kids the day before schools started? Is this going for be the first year they don’t? If so, is it only YHS kids who are being excluded? This seems deeply wrong to a handful of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A relatively high performing, economically homogeneous high school can do well with an enrollment of 2700 or more. That is the case at schools like New Trier in Winnetka. It won’t be the case at W-L and parents will be increasingly unhappy with how their average kids fall through the cracks there in the future.

With the current demographic balance W-L should do well at 2700 students or 1000 students, or 3,000 students, etc. If the balance were to shift and APS were to rezone more single family home neighborhoods away from W-L to Yorktown to account for population growth in the southern part of the county, then yes, average kids may fall through the cracks.

That’s literally what’s happening. They are moving Wakefield units to WL and YHS IB transfers are shrinking— this year there were many rejections in fact.

1. Not surprised about this.
2. How do you know this?

If true it’s a shame APS is using IB to reduce overcrowding at Wakefield. The IB program at W-L was not designed for that. The lottery based admissions system was designed to give all 8th graders a fair chance at entry.

Hasn’t it always been true that everyone got into IB who survived through the last minute ridiculous waitlist? Like, they were letting in kids the day before schools started? Is this going for be the first year they don’t? If so, is it only YHS kids who are being excluded? This seems deeply wrong to a handful of kids.

That have space for 400 kids, and YHS is not overcrowded. They are transferring 100 students a year from Wakefield so yes only YHS will be excluded.