St. Charles Parish School Board: Needs & Capacity Assessment 2007 Contents

Co n t e n t s Executive Summary...... 1

Preface: Needs and Capacity Assessment...... 4

School Enrollment: National, State, St. Charles...... 5

Population Growth and School Enrollment...... 7

St. Charles School Configuration...... 15

Methodology for Updating Projections...... 16

Enrollment Projections...... 20

Individual School Enrollment Projections...... 23

Capacity to Meet Present and Future Needs...... 43

Growth and School Capacity...... 47

Recommendations for Consideration...... 51

Prepared by:

5058 West Main Street Houma, Louisiana 70360 (985) 851–2900 13855 River Road School Board Members: Luling, Louisiana 70070 Mr. Clarence Savoie, President www.scpdc.org (985) 785–6289 Mr. John Smith Mr. Ellis Alexander www.stcharles.k12.la.us Ms. Mary Bergeron Mr. Dennis Naquin Superintendent: Mr. John Robichaux Dr. Rodney Lafon Mr. Stephen Crovetto Mr. Alex Suffrin

ii St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Executive Summary

Ex e c u t i v e Su m m a r y

This report is the third installment in the series assessing school facility needs and capacity developed for the St. Charles Parish School Board by South Central Planning and Development Commission (SCPDC).

The purpose of developing school enrollment projections is to look to the future, relating school capacity to present and future demand. It also includes a broad base of information, offer- ing high, low, average and median enrollment estimates. This report provides both historic enrollment figures and projections for the post-Katrina years of 2004-05 and 2005-06. The comparison of Standing: Dennis Naquin, Ellis Alexander, Dr. Rodney Lafon, high and low estimates proved to be farther from John Smith, Alex Suffrin. Seated: John Robichaux, Mary Bergeron, actual outcomes than the average and median Clarence Savoie, Stephen Crovetto. estimates.

Summary of findings based on the data:

• Public school enrollment in St. Charles remains stable, after a slight post-Katrina spike • St. Charles continues to see significant new residential development • Public school capacity in St. Charles Parish surpasses regional capacity averages as well as state minimum requirements • St. Charles’s existing and planned public school capacity can accommodate any additional enrollment associated with new development

The line graphs on the following pages visually depict trends that could affect facility needs and capacity in St. Charles.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 1 Executive Summary

Po p u l a t i o n Tr e n d s

St. Charles Population In the 40 years from 1960 to 2000, St. Charles 50000 Parish has experienced cumulative population growth of approximately 92.6%.

The parish continues to see significant new residential development, as detailed in the body 40000 of this report. Cumulative annual population growth since 2000 totals approximately 9.6%.

Only part of population growth in St. Charles can be attributed to natural augmenta- 30000 tion. Live births in St. Charles had tapered off, but showed a significant increase in 2004, the last year for which data is currently available.

20000 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Annual Population Figures St Charles Parish Live Births 55000 800

52500 750

50000 700

47500 650

Ju Ju Ju Ju Ju Ju Ju 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 45000 600 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 ly ly ly ly ly ly ly 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

2 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Executive Summary

Sc h o o l En r o l l m e n t

Public schools in St. Charles experienced a slight spike in enrollment the year of Hurricane Katrina. The following year, enrollment stabilized, returning to around the pre-disaster level.

The chart below provides monthly detail on post-disaster enrollments and enrollment trends on the parish’s West and East Banks.

St. Charles Parish District-WidePost-Disaster Enrollment 10000

9750

9500

9250

9000

J F M A M O F J a e e u n b a p a c b n . . r r y t . e 2 c . . 00 2 h 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 2 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 6 6 7 7 0 6 6

St. Charles District-Wide Post-Disaster Enrollment 10100

9825

9550

9275

9000 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 ------9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

West Bank & East Bank Enrollment Trends 5500 West Bank East Bank 5125

4750

4375

4000 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 3 Preface

Pr e f a c e : Ne e d s a n d Ca p a c i t y As s e s s m e n t

In 1997, the St. Charles Parish School Board asked the South Central Planning and Development Commission (SCPDC) for technical assistance in long–term facility planning. SCPDC prepared a Needs and Capacity Assessment to assist the school district in anticipating its current and ongoing facility needs. The assessment incorporated school attendance zone maps and five– and ten–year student enrollment projections. It also considered per student space requirements and costs and made recommendations regarding School Board participation in the St. Charles Parish subdivision approval process in order to anticipate future demand.

The needs and capacity assessment process has continued over the past decade. SCPDC prepared an updated assessment in 2000 that extended the initial enrollment projections to 2010. The current report, the third in the series, provides actual enrollment figures through June 2007 and extends five–year enrollment projections to 2012. This report also considers probable long–term affects of recent disaster and recovery efforts on facility needs.

Many factors affect the validity of long–range projections. Broad national trends cannot reflect local conditions such as the opening or closing of major local employers or the construction of new highways which allow development of previously undeveloped land. Projections of nationwide student enrollments leave out details that must be considered when assigning students to specific schools within a particular school district. Varia- tions in the local economy, in residential building trends and in birthrates can all affect the reliabil- ity of projections. Proximity to growth centers may increase population at a particular school or throughout a school district. Age distribution of the population may increase enrollment at some schools, while shrinking enrollment at other schools within the same district.

Events like Hurricane Katrina can affect the basic assumptions on which local and regional projections were based. Research in disaster recovery indicates that the aftermath of events of the magnitude of Katrina will continue to affect the region’s population, settlement patterns and economy and can be expected to cause fundamental, ongoing demographic shifts for years to come. While specific and immediate impacts are often difficult to quantify, this report attempts to use accessible indicators to suggest likely short– and long–term, post–disaster impacts on the size and composition of St. Charles Parish’s school–age population and on related public school facility needs.

4 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment School Enrollment

Sc h o o l En r o l l m e n t : Na t i o n a l , St a t e , St. Ch a r l e s

In 2005–2006, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that public elementary and secondary school enrollment in the United States totaled 49.1 million. This was an increase of 1% from the 48.8 million students in 2004–2005, but a 5% drop over the decade since 1996, when national enrollment stood at 51.7 million.

Of the national total, 34.3 million or 69.9% of students were enrolled in pre–kindergarten through grade eight and ungraded classes. The remaining 14.8 million or 30.1% were enrolled in grades nine to twelve.

In 1996, Louisiana was among a handful of states expected to experience a decline in public school enrollment. NCES projected a drop of up to 5% from 1999 to 2009. In 2005–2006, after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, NCES estimated that Louisiana’s total public school enrollment was 654,526. The official figure issued by the Louisiana Department of Education was 653,786. The variation is indicative of post–disaster fluctuations noted in the 2005–2006 Louisiana State Education Progress Report. It also probably reflects difficulties in obtaining accurate information in the state’s most devastated parishes. NCES now projects a 1% increase in public school enrollment in Louisiana from 2003 to 2015. As of February 1, 2007, the State Education Department reported a total state public school enrollment of 676,731.

After the 2005 hurricanes, public school enrollment plummeted in the state’s most devastated parishes. The Louisiana Department of Education estimated a statewide decline of approximately 70,200 students or 10% from the pre–disaster level. Louisiana school districts that suffered less severe damage accepted approximately 22,000 of the displaced students.

Louisiana Enrollment In Grades K–12 Public Elementary and Secondary Schools Year Enrollment Percent Change October 2001 736,571 October 2002 736,495 –0.01% October 2003 734,706 –0.24% October 2004 731,351 –0.46% October 2005 612,468 –19.41% December 2005 655, 194 6.53% 2006 653,786 0.002%

Note that, after a slight rebound at the end of 2005, enrollment again dropped in 2006. As the 2005– 2006 Progress Report stated, “pre–hurricane enrollment trends may take years to recover.” St. Charles Parish has also seen a decline in public school enrollment.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 5 School Enrollment

St. Charles Public School Enrollment Year Enrollment % Change 1998–99 9,926 1999–00 9,755 –0.172% 2000–01 9,672 –0.085% 2001–02 9,646 –0.0027% 2002–03 9,457 –0.0196% 2003–04 9,757 0.0317 2004–05 9,509 –0.0254% 2005–06 9,761 0.0265% 2006–07 9,444 –0.0325%

The data indicate that St. Charles did not experience a major influx of students displaced from devastated parishes. After a slight spike in enrollment in January 2006, enrollment figures for the parish have exhibited a gradual decline.

St. Charles District–Wide Post Disaster Enrollment Year Enrollment % Change Fall 2005 * * Jan. 2006 9,945 1.51% Feb. 2006 9,885 –0.60% March 2006 9,846 –0.39% Apr. 2006 9,775 –0.72% May 2006 9,761 –0.14% Oct. 2006 9,734 -0.27% Feb. 2007 9,653 –0.83% June 2007 9,444 –0.217% *Uncertainty of date due to Hurricane Katrina. Anecdotal evidence provided by the St. Charles Public School System suggests some out–migration of families resulting from disaster–related elimination of jobs in New Orleans and it environs to which principal breadwinners had commuted. This included a number of teachers who left the district for various reasons.

Throughout disaster–related fluctuations, enrollments on the West Bank have remained consistently higher than those on the East Bank.

East Bank and West Bank Post–Disaster Enrollment Year West Bank East Bank 2003–2004 5,156 4,601 2004–2005 4,990 4,519 2005–2006 5,029 4,732 2006–2007 4,920 4,524

6 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Population Growth

Po p u l a t i o n Gr o w t h a n d Sc h o o l En r o l l m e n t

While public school enrollment decreased, the parish’s population grew by 6.04%, from 48,072 in 2000 to an estimated 52,761 in July 2006. Despite any out–migration, St. Charles ranks eighth in growth among Louisiana parishes.

St. Charles Population Year/Month Year Population Percent Change 1960 Census 21,219 1970 Census 29,550 39.3% 1980 Census 37,259 26.1% 1990 Census 42,437 13.9% 2000 Census 48,072 13.3% Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. St. Charles Population Trends July 2000 to July 2006 Month/Year Population Percent Change July 2000 48,200 .003% July 2001 48,509 .01% July 2002 49,060 .01% July 2003 49,246 .0038% July 2004 49,886 .0130% July 2005 50,554 .0134% July 2006* 52,761 .0437% *Estimated or projected Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. American FactFinder. July 2007. Only part of the population growth can be attributed to natural augmentation. Live births in St. Charles have tapered off from a high of 833 in 1988. Since then, the number of births has fluctuated, but did exhibit a significant increase in 2004, the last year for which data is currently available.

St. Charles Live Births Year Number of Live Births Year Number of Live Births 1987 796 1996 736 1988 833 1997 716 1989 810 1998 713 1990 791 1999 682 1991 773 2000 734 1992 748 2001 681 1993 733 2002 661 1994 778 2003 644 1995 771 2004 719 Source: Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Vital Statistics. June 2007.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 7 Population Growth

Age–specific population data is used to forecast future population, based on survival and fertility ratios, as well as birth rate (the number of births per 1,000 persons per year). St. Charles had a birth rate of 13.8 in 2000 (Louisiana Department of Health, 2005 St. Charles Parish Health Profile). In 2004, the parish birth rate was approximately 14.4.

A number of trends promote increased public school enrollment. Among these are the delayed marriage and child– bearing among baby boomers, producing what demographers call the “baby–boom echo.” NCES projects the result will be a long, steady increase in enrollment, with no decline forecast. Another factor contributing to growing enrollments is the consistently higher birth rates among African–Americans and other minorities. St. Charles, unlike neighboring Jefferson Parish, has not experienced a significant influx of Hispanic workers drawn by post–disaster recovery jobs. However, the School District recognizes there may be limited future potential for in–migration of Hispanic population to the St. Rose area from nearby Kenner in Jefferson Parish.

Other trends foster decreased school enrollment. Among these is smaller family size. In 1960, St. Charles had an average household of 3.69 persons. By 2000, the size of the parish’s average household had dropped to 2.90 persons. Another factor that has a small impact on enrollment is the number of families sending their children to non-public schools. While the percent of students enrolled in non- public and home school programs in St. Charles Parish is significantly lower than the state average (8.2% vs. 16% in 2005), this number reduces the potential public school enrollment.

Post–disaster impacts should also be taken into consideration. While an influx of Hispanic workers may add to the population, changing economic and labor conditions have caused some out–migration. The School District suspects that some families that have relocated to the parish may at first try to minimize disruption for their children by making arrangements for them to commute back to their previous schools in New Orleans or its suburbs. However, two years after the storms, it is antici- pated that families that have made the decision to settle in St. Charles will either begin to send their children to local public schools or make other permanent arrangements. Any shifts in school population will have ongoing impacts on school enrollments and capacity needs.

Pre–storm, the availability of land and housing was the major factor in increasing parish population. From 2000 to 2006, St. Charles gained an estimated 2,902 additional residents. That increase was largely the result of in–migration of people relocating from older neighborhoods in metropolitan New Orleans. Post–Katrina, the rising cost and limited availability of housing has put the parish out of reach for many families.

8 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Population Growth

Building permit data helps track the location of population growth. This is key information in planning school capacity. Between January 1998 and June 2007, St. Charles issued 2,575 new single–family residential permits. The peak year for permit activity was 2006, with 563 permits issued. Nearly half of those permits (262) were issued in December 2006. This is not indicative of normal activity levels, but rather a result of the 2005 hurricanes. In the first Extraordinary Session of 2004, the State Legislature responded to the widespread destruction from the storms by passing Louisiana State Act 12, adopting the International Building Code to upgrade construction standards throughout the state. The new codes went into effect in January 2007. Many parish residents and newcomers applied for building permits the previous month, in order to avoid having to comply with the new requirements.

The parish issued an additional 1,021 permits for mobile or manufactured homes between January 1998 and June 2007. This includes permits for units relocated within St. Charles, as well as units new to the parish. Permit records do not capture data differentiating between permits involving relocation of units and those for units not previously permitted in the parish.

St. Charles Parish Building Permits Type 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007* TOTAL Residential 212 219 180 196 216 318 319 309 563 53 2575 Mobile Homes 111 146 106 77 91 92 89 114 172 32 1021 Commercial 45 41 41 21 20 24 20 25 25 8 268 *Through June 2007 Source: St. Charles Parish Planning and Zoning Department, June 2007.

Prior to 2004, the parish issued more new residential permits for locations on the West Bank. After 2004, more permits were issued for locations on the East Bank. The emphasis has now shifted back to the West Bank, where most of the parish's remaining developable land is located. Most undeveloped land on the East Bank is federally–defined wetlands, where development is prohibited or limited. The figures for the first half of 2007 indicate the pace of construction has slowed.

Again, the location of new development is key information the School District needs to target capacity planning at specific schools serving particular parts of the parish. School District planning is orga- nized on an East Bank–West Bank basis, with capacity targeted to student populations on either side of the Mississippi River. Except for some limited transportation of a number of students bussed across the river.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 9 Population Growth

Sales of existing homes in the parish rose by nearly 100 units in 2005. Much of this increase is attributed to the two hurricanes. Sales dropped off in 2006, but still accounted for 58 more units than St. Charles Parish Residential Permits in 2004. Sales for the first quarter of 2007 indi- Year West Bank East Bank cate the pace of home sales has slowed. If succeed- 1998 162 64 ing quarters maintain this activity level, total sales 1999 156 64 for the year will be well below total sales in 2000 131 49 2004. 2001 129 67 2002 134 82 Condominium and townhouse sales have also 2003 162 156 dropped off. 2004 115 204 Activity in permits issued for multi-family 2005 143 166 construction rose significantly after the storms, 2006 108 150 but has now returned to pre-disaster levels. The 2007* 21 17 limited pool of units available has significantly Total 1,261 1,019 raised rental prices in the parish. * Through June 2007 Souce: St. Charles Planning and Zoning Dept. Two unknown factors continue to affect the St. Charles Single Family Home Sales possiblity of new construction. First, the Army 1st Q Corp. of Engineers expect to release new Base 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Flood Elevation maps (BFE) in 2008. As these East Bank maps affect the minimum height requirements 49 299 339 241 243 for new construction, it may have an impact on West Bank future development. Second, the availability of 43 251 232 198 195 affordable home insurance has not rebounded as Total quickly as once hoped. However, recent discus- 92 550 571 439 438 sions with the State Insurance Commission show Source: Metropolitan New Orleans Real Estate that large insurance providers have begun analyz- Market Analysis, Rebuilding & Recovery Edition, ing their risk in this area. Barring any new storms March 2007; Katrina Edition, May 2006; and New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors. or catastrophic insurance losses, new policies will begin to be written by 2009.

St. Charles Multi–Family Construction St. Charles Condominium and Year Number Townhouse Sales 2006 16 Year Number 2005 26 2007 1st Quarter 0 Units 2004 16 2006 9 Units 2005 9 Units 2004 9 Units 2003 7 Units

10 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Population Growth

Ne w Subdivisions a n d Sc h o o l Ca p a c i t y

New subdivision development translates into present and future demand for public school capacity, as families move into the parish and their children attend and move through the local school system. This report continues to update the planning process the School Board initiated in the late 1990s. The purpose is to anticipate such localized demand and plan for the capacity to accommodate it.

Figures provided by the St. Charles Parish Planning and Zoning Department indicate the parish has experienced a development boom in recent years. A total of 70 new residential subdivisions or phases of subdivisions have been approved, are under construction or have been proposed in the parish since 1997. These subdivisions represent a total of 3,237 lots. Of that number, approximately 1,957 lots are on or proposed for the West bank, while approximately 1,280 are on or proposed for the East bank.

The list below sorts, by year, residential subdivisions of five lots or more developed in St. Charles Parish since 1997. Larger subdivisions may be broken down into phases. Different phases of the same subdivision may be at different stages in the approval process.

Number Year of Approval Subdivision Name Locale of Lots Approval Phase 1997: Bayou Estates South Bayou Gauche 1997 Final Acadian Trace – Gabrielle Lane Destrehan 18 1997 Final Avalon Phase 1 Hahnville 48 1997 Final Magnolia Ridge Ranchettes Boutte 17 1997 Final Oak Manor Estates St. Rose 52 1997 Final Primrose Park Luling 48 1997 Final Willowridge Phases 5A & 5B Luling 82 1997 Final 1998: Highland Estates Norco 51 1998 Final 1999: Acadian Trace – Evangeline Lane Destrehan 18 1999 Final Fashion Plantation Estates Phase 1 Hahnville 78 1999 Final Primrose Estates Boutte 73 1999 Final Shamrock Park Phase 2 Bayou Gauche 47 1999 Final 2000: Cypress Cove Phase 1 Destrehan 7 2000 Final Esperanza Country Estates Phase 1 Hahnville 11 2000 Final Lakewood East Phase 1 Luling 42 2000 Final Oaklawn Ridge St. Rose 69 2000 Final 2001: Avalon Phase 2 Hahnville 48 2001 Final Beau Place Phase 1 Bayou Gauche 58 2001 Final Magnolia Ridge Ranchettes Phase 2A Boutte 17 2001 Final

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 11 Population Growth

Number Year of Approval Subdivision Name Locale of Lots Approval Phase Pine Street Extension Bayou Gauche 19 2001 Final Riverbriar Phase 1 Destrehan 4 2001 Final Riverwood Estates St. Rose 109 2001 Final South Lakewood Luling 85 2001 Construction 2002: Country Cottage Estates Phase 1 Montz 19 2002 Final Esperanza Country Estates Phase 2 Hahnville 6 2002 Final Evangeline Estates Phase 1 Montz 31 2002 Final Fashion Plantation Estates Phase 2 Hahnville 104 2002 Final Lakewood East Phase 2 Luling 51 2002 Final Lesseigne Manor St. Rose 11 2002 Final 2003: Country Cottage Estates Phase 2 Montz 54 2003 Final Evangeline Estates Phase 2 Montz 69 2003 Final Lakewood Estates Phase 3 Luling 14 2003 Construction Ormond Country Club Estates Section 12 Phase D2 Destrehan 68 2003 Final Riverbend Estates Phase 1 St. Rose 94 2003 Final 2004: Cypress Cove Phase 2 Destrehan 16 2004 Final Evangeline City Phase 1 Montz 21 2004 Final Kerry’s Pointe Bayou Gauche 24 2004 Final Magnolia Manor Phase 1A Boutte 17 2004 Final Magnolia Meadows Phase 1 Boutte 11 2004 Final Magnolia Meadows Phase 2 Boutte 7 2004 Final Panther Run at Ormond Phase 1 Destrehan 37 2004 Final Sunset Ridge LaPature Ranchettes Bayou Gauche 22 2004 Final 2005: Brookshire Estates Phase 1 Hahnville 44 2005 Construction Country Cottage Estates Phase 3A & 3B Montz 81 2005 Final Evangeline City Phase 2 Montz 66 2005 Construction Hidden Oaks Phase 1 Boutte 17 2005 Final Hidden Oaks Phase 2 Boutte 63 2005 Construction Lakewood Estates Phase 2 Luling 82 2005 Final Legend Oaks Bayou Gauche 51 2005 Final Magnolia Manor Phase 1B Boutte 21 2005 Final Panther Run at Ormond Phase 2 Destrehan 16 2005 Final Pecan Bayou Hahnville 10 2005 Prelim. Plat Riverbend Estates Phase 2 St. Rose 26 2005 Final Riverbriar Phase 2 Destrehan 5 2005 Final 2006:

12 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Population Growth

Number Year of Approval Subdivision Name Locale of Lots Approval Phase Ashton Plantation Estates Phase 1A Luling 110 2006 Final Ashton Plantation Estates Phase 1B Luling 96 2006 Ashton Plantation Estates Phase 1C Luling 92 2006 Construction Belle Ormond Destrehan 50 2006 Construction Country Cottage Estates Phase 3CA & 3CB Montz 103 2006 Final Fashion Plantation Estates Phase 3 Hahnville 49 2006 Final Glastonbury (Avalon Phase 3) Hahnville 125 2006 Prelim. Plat Highland Oaks Phase 1 St. Rose 56 2006 Final Highland Oaks Phase 2 St. Rose 32 2006 Final Highland Oaks Phase 3 St. Rose 14 2006 Final King’s Estates Boutte 27 2006 Construction Pleasant Valley Extension Bayou Gauche 27 2006 Final Riverbreez Estates of Ama Ama 83 2006 Construction 2007: Hidden Oaks Phase 2A Boutte 28 2007 Final Lakewood Ridge Luling 73 2007 Final Rivercrest Estates Hahnville 113 2007 Construction Each of the subdivisions listed above has gone through or is going through a required process of review and approval by the Parish. The St. Charles Parish Subdivision Regulations are based on State Law governing the review and approval procedures and on model subdivision ordinances. The parish regulations contain the three steps standard to most parish subdivision ordinances throughout Louisi- ana.

1. Preliminary Plat Approval. The Parish Planning Commission staff reviews preliminary plats showing the layout of the subdivision and submits the plats with the proposed layout to various other agencies or public entities. The purpose is to ensure that the planned development meets minimum requirements for street and lot layouts and that there is adequate water, sewage, drain- age and utility capacity to handle the new lots. Staff makes a recommendation to the Parish Planning Commission, which must approve the plat before the developer can proceed to the next step. 2. Construction Plan Approval. The developer prepares detailed construction drawings showing the size and location of the utility lines which he is required to install, as well as rights–of way, street details and road lights. The Parish Engineer must review and approve these plans before the developer can begin construction. 3. Final Approval. Once a developer has completed installation of the public improvements, the Parish Engineer inspects and certifies that the construction meets Parish standards. The subdivision is then submitted to the Parish Council, which must accept the streets and other infrastruc- ture for perpetual maintenance.

The process of public scrutiny ensure that public facilities, which all parish taxpayers share the burden of maintaining, are built to an acceptable performance standard. The goal is to enable local government

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 13 Population Growth

to avoid unforeseen maintenance problems due to sub–standard construction. For purchasers of lots, the approval process provides assurance they are indeed buying a finished product.

In line with recommendations in the previous assessment update, the School District has requested and now has a non–voting seat on the parish Planning and Zoning Commission, which reviews and approves all subdivisions proposed in the parish. Participating in the approval process allows the School District to provide input in subdivision planning before construction begins. Participation also enables the School Board to obtain timely information to ensure school facility planning keep pace with ongoing needs and demand. Re a d y t o Re s p o n d t o Gr o w t h

Subdivisions built or planned since 2000 have added or will add 2,678 residential lots in St. Charles Parish. Some lots may be purchased by families already residing in the parish. However, if all lots were purchased by families new to the parish, at an average household size of 2.90, this would equate to approximately 7,766 additional residents. If each household had a child of school age, this would equate to a potential for 2,678 additional students in the school system.

The School Board recognizes the need to be proactive in respond- ing to new development and settlement patterns which may increase student enrollments. Strategies may include adjusting school enrollment areas, installing portable classroom buildings, planning additions to existing school facilities and/or constructing new schools. Ashton, located on the West Bank immediately adjacent to I–310, was ulti- mately planned to encompass 2,000 lots. Phases 1A and 1B have now been completed and have houses under construction or already occu- pied. Phase 1C is currently being built. These account for 298 or just under 15% of Ashton’s total planned lots. Another Ashton addition has recently begun construction.

The School Board has made strategic land purchases in developing areas of the parish, thus positioning itself to construct additional schools if sufficient need is demonstrated. The district owns a 9 acre parcel in the Ashton development. In 2002, the Ashton developers made an additional parcel of 10 acres available to the School Board for $653,000. The School Board must exercise its option to purchase by April 30, 2009. The School Board also owns an additional parcel of land at the R. K. Smith site to allow for expansion if needed.

14 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment School Configuration

St. Ch a r l e s Sc h o o l Co n f i g u r a t i o n

The School District has configured school capacity to meet the varying needs of communities on the two sides of the river. Grade configurations at different schools also vary. This has resulted in slight variations in the paths children in different parts of the parish take through the school system. School and enrollment details are outlined below.

West Bank: East Bank:

Allemands, Grades K–2 St. Rose Elementary, Grades K–5 R.J. Vial, Grades 3–6 Norco, Grades K–3 Luling, Grades K–5 Norco, Grades 4–6

Songy Kindergarten Center New Sarpy, Grades K Mimosa Park, Grades 1–3 New Sarpy, Grades 1–3 Lakewood, Grades 4–6 Schoeffner, Grades 4–6

Middle Schools: Middle Schools: J. B. Martin, Grades 7–8 Cammon Middle, Grades 6–8 R.K. Smith, Grades 6–8 Hurst Middle School, Grades 7–8

• Students from R.J. Vial and • Students from Norco 4–6 Lakewood attend J.B. Martin and Schoeffner attend Hurst Middle • Students from Luling attend R.K. Smith High School: Destrehan High School, Grades 9–12 High School: Hahnville High School, • Students on the East Bank Grades 9–12 attend Destrehan High School.

• Students on the West Bank attend Hahnville High School.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 15 Methodology

Me t h o d o l o g y f o r Up d a t i n g Pr o j e c t i o n s

Throughout the needs and capacity assessment process, student enrollment projections have been based on the cohort survival method. This is a population projection technique that takes into account the age distribution of the population as well as the influence of rates of mortality, live births and in– and out–migration.

The word “cohort” refers to a group of people within the same age range. Over time, the size and characteristics of existing cohorts change in response to a range of social and economic factors. The same conditions influence the formation of new cohorts.

A number of factors affect school enrollment cohorts in St. Charles. These include migration of families into and out of the parish for job opportunities; availability of land and housing in the parish; and grade retention and drop–out rates. For this assessment update, records of live births in St. Charles Parish between 1987 and 2004 (the last year of data currently available) were obtained from the Loui- siana Office of Vital Statistics. The birth figures were broken down by zip codes and allocated to school enrollment areas on the East and West Bank.

The live birth data, along with historic student enrollment data by grade for the previous five years, was used to determine cohort survival rates, indicating the percentage of students continuing to the next grade. The rates were then used to calculate high, low, average and median enrollment estimates.

As noted above, the survival rate includes student retention, t. Charles Parish student in- and out-migration, change of school, etc. Student reten- retention rate is consis- tion and drop-out rates were drawn from the St. Charles Parish tentlyS lower than the state 2005-2006 District Composite Report (Louisiana Department of Education, March 2007). The retention rate is calculated by average. dividing the total number of students retained per grade by total students per grade, then multiplying the result by 100. The drop-out rate at each grade level is calculated by dividing the number of students dropping out at each grade level by the district’s cumulative enrollment for the school year and multiplying the result by 100.

The table on the following page shows retention rates for recent years. A pattern in retention rates can be identified. St. Charles had its highest retention rate at the kindergarten level. The next highest retention rate occurs at grade 9 as students enter high school.

16 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Methodology

St. Charles: Student Retention 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 % Num. % Num. % Num. % Num. % Num. % Num. K 21.8 178 23.5 174 19.9 155 21.0 156 14.5 109 9.6 70 1 10.9 79 13.3 99 9.5 66 8.6 62 9.3 65 8.1 59 2 7.6 52 8.3 59 6.8 48 6.4 44 5.5 39 5.0 34 3 4.9 37 6.5 44 5.9 41 5.4 38 3.3 23 3.9 29 4 8.8 63 9.6 77 8.4 60 6.4 45 11.8 89 12.2 93 5 7.0 48 6.1 44 6.0 45 4.1 28 4.6 32 4.8 34 6 1.3 9 2.9 19 4.5 33 4.4 32 3.8 27 4.4 32 7 4.1 31 6.6 48 10.1 69 5.7 43 5.1 39 4.6 33 8 7.9 57 6.7 51 7.2 51 7.4 50 4.1 31 5.7 43 9 16.9 147 14.2 114 13.1 108 15.7 116 12.3 91 9.0 71 10 5.3 34 4.6 30 6.2 41 4.8 32 3.1 19 5.1 32 11 2.2 14 3.7 22 1.5 9 1.4 8 2.0 12 2.2 12 12 2.4 14 2.4 16 3.7 24 3.2 19 2.9 18 1.1 7 K–12 8.2 763 8.6 797 8.2 750 7.5 673 6.5 594 6.0 549

Louisiana: Student Retention 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 % Num % Num % Num % Num % Num % Num K 9.8 5,460 9.8 5,319 10.1 5,285 10.0 5,421 9.4 5,251 8.7 4,930 1 13.4 8,226 12.7 7,452 12.1 6,913 11.3 6,205 11.1 6,183 10.7 6,161 2 6.8 3,894 6.5 3,657 6.4 3,520 5.8 3,105 5.4 2,803 5.0 2,615 3 7.0 4,040 6.4 3,668 6.8 3,842 6.2 3,447 6.0 3,238 5.0 2,596 4 16.2 9,136 13.8 8,498 11.9 7,169 12.0 7,023 18.1 10,544 13.8 8,296 5 5.6 3,052 4.2 2,093 4.0 2,145 3.8 2,068 3.4 1,785 2.8 1,362 6 8.9 5,014 8.5 4,758 7.6 4,077 7.1 4,031 6.8 3,849 7.3 3,995 7 11.9 6,823 11.5 6,467 10.7 6,038 10.2 5,566 9.2 5,228 9.2 5,183 8 20.5 10,917 17.5 10,307 17.1 9,969 17.9 10,377 13.9 7,911 13.8 7,947 9 15.5 9,048 15.0 7,459 15.6 8,129 17.9 9,355 16.7 8,792 16.7 8,999 10 9.6 4,632 10.6 5,126 9.8 4,446 10.5 4,805 9.5 4,281 9.3 4,190 11 5.9 2,454 7.3 3,026 6.4 2,673 6.3 2,509 6.3 2,498 6.2 2,454 12 5.1 2,034 4.5 1,816 4.8 1,909 5.8 2,308 5.4 2,133 6.7 2,615 K–12 10.7 74,730 10.1 69,646 9.7 66,115 9.8 66,220 9.6 64,496 9.1 61,343

As shown in the charts except for kindergarten, student retention rates for all grades in St. Charles have been below statewide retention levels by over three percentage points for the past two years.

In some cases, student retention is a precursor to student’s dropping out of school entirely. The table below shows drop–out rates and numbers for recent years in grades 7 through 12.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 17 Methodology

St. Charles: Students Dropping Out 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 % Num. % Num. % Num. % Num. % Num. % Num. 7 0.4 3 0.1 1 0/1 1 0.0 0 1.0 8 * * 8 1.6 14 0.6 5 2.5 19 0.5 4 1.2 10 * * 9 7.0 66 4.3 41 5.2 46 7.0 62 7.7 71 * * 10 5.2 37 2.4 17 4.0 30 4.0 27 3.7 26 * * 11 3.1 20 2.1 13 3.4 22 2.8 18 1.7 10 * * 12 3.7 27 4.0 28 4.2 28 4.3 29 3.6 26 * * 9–12 4.9 150 3.3 99 4.3 126 4.7 136 4.6 133 * * *Data not available when the St. Charles District Composite Report for 2005–2006 was issued.

Louisiana: Students Dropping Out 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 % Num % Num % Num % Num % Num % Num 7 2.0 1,216 1.5 936 1.7 992 1.4 877 1.5 913 * * 8 3.4 2,236 3.3 2,100 3.6 2,302 3.4 2,139 3.3 2,069 * * 9 8.4 4,934 6.3 3,823 7.6 4,735 7.7 4,822 7.6 4,813 * * 10 7.7 4,373 6.8 3,535 6.5 3,420 6.6 3,381 6.2 3,173 * * 11 7.4 3,589 6.4 3,069 6.3 2,893 6.3 2,869 6.4 2,883 * * 12 7.6 3,465 7.0 3,151 7.5 3,459 9.0 4,098 7.6 3,341 * * 9–12 7.8 16,361 6.6 13,578 7.0 14,507 7.4 15,170 7.0 14,210 * * *Data not available when St. Charles District Composite Report for 2005–2006 was issued.

Except for the grade 9 drop–out rate in 2004/05, St. Charles has consistently experienced lower drop–out rates than the rest of the state. In that year, St. Charles had a 7.7% rate for grade 9, while the state had a 7.6% rate. Otherwise, the parish figures have been below state levels, often by as much as 2% or more.

Survival rate calculations were analyzed using various combinations of historic data to determine which projections best fit historic trends for the parish. Projections were developed using U.S. Census population and birth rate estimates.

As in the original needs and capacity assessment and the 2000 update, a growth factor was used to take enrollment projections beyond actual birth and enrollment figures currently available. This growth factor incorporates analysis of building permits; proposed new residential subdivisions; age of the population; and school enrollment

This updated assessment also attempts to take into account of the difficult to quantify impacts of the 2005 hurricanes.

18 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Methodology

St. Charles Parish Historic Enrollment by Grade GRADE 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 K 461 446 459 441 422 421 378 375 415 368 1 422 372 380 376 404 365 412 382 396 436 2 356 398 337 387 347 397 367 401 374 355 3 358 382 397 354 383 372 428 388 393 378 4 376 371 388 435 379 387 389 455 424 418 5 412 380 364 370 393 347 396 383 382 394 6 385 411 372 362 367 377 365 392 361 375 7 400 383 415 388 391 386 401 375 388 377 8 370 364 358 410 372 373 416 409 399 400

West Bank West 9 524 524 491 448 467 405 438 462 406 411 10 330 353 339 317 336 385 303 321 357 377 11 328 288 329 286 284 292 325 264 250 347 12 237 302 278 328 302 289 295 340 283 249 ungrad 82 80 72 64 93 67 243 43 201 35 Total 5041 5054 4979 4966 4940 4863 5156 4990 5029 4920

K 439 366 379 324 383 344 374 375 322 306 1 403 382 363 395 298 355 298 340 388 349 2 380 399 359 345 370 304 347 295 333 359 3 347 358 377 331 337 340 283 348 316 333 4 344 357 359 383 357 335 360 329 385 332 5 390 335 330 371 373 353 328 337 324 358 6 401 383 342 312 380 364 351 342 365 341 7 378 405 364 350 334 399 382 363 377 367 8 351 333 383 373 357 335 350 374 352 355 East Bank East 9 470 465 461 416 427 423 382 395 420 410 10 389 369 350 362 361 336 346 343 367 358 11 335 341 342 343 340 343 304 296 311 321 12 300 332 337 367 354 344 336 345 301 314 ungrad 54 47 30 18 35 19 160 37 171 21 Total 4981 4872 4776 4690 4706 4594 4601 4519 4732 4524

K 900 812 838 765 805 765 752 750 737 674 1 825 754 743 771 702 720 710 722 784 785 2 736 797 696 732 717 701 714 696 707 714 3 705 740 774 689 720 712 711 736 709 711 4 720 728 747 818 736 722 749 784 809 750 5 802 715 694 741 766 700 724 720 706 752 6 786 794 714 674 747 741 716 734 726 716 7 778 788 779 730 725 785 783 738 765 744 8 721 697 741 795 729 708 766 783 751 755

Parish Total Parish 9 994 989 952 864 894 828 820 857 826 821 10 719 722 689 679 697 721 649 664 724 735 11 663 629 671 629 624 635 629 560 561 668 12 537 634 615 695 656 633 631 685 584 563 ungrad 136 127 102 90 128 86 403 80 372 56 Total 10022 9926 9755 9672 9646 9457 9757 9509 9761 9444

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 19 Enrollment Projections

En r o l l m e n t Pr o j e c t i o n s The projections presented in the charts on the following pages are based on historic enrollment trends and live birth data for St. Charles Parish and for the Parish’s West and East Banks. High, low, average and median projections are provided, with the anticipation that a broad base of information will enable the School Board to consider a range of possible enrollment scenarios. In the current environment, it seems appropriate to consider a variety of alternatives. In addition to the usual variables affect- ing the validity of projections, there are still uncertainties regarding the long–term affects of Hurricane Katrina.

Note that projections have been developed for the years 2004/05 to 2006/07, for which historical information is available. Since these are the years in which post–disaster enrollments spiked, it is adventageous to compare historical and projected figures in order to help clarify enrollment trend patterns. In this case, for example, the high and low projections show significant variation from actual experience. The average and median projections align more closely with actual experience.

As stated previously, the Louisiana Office of Vital Statistics can only provide birth data through 2004. Beyond the years for which birth data is available, projections are based on an annual straight–line gain of 2% for high estimates, a 1% gain for low estimates and a 1.5% gain for average and median estimates.

20 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Enrollment Projections

West Bank

High K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 486 518 562 362 424 403 534 469 475 505 517 377 394 6026 2005-06 580 528 527 392 387 457 576 435 436 441 546 400 320 6025 2006-07 461 523 474 343 371 370 491 429 437 464 474 347 362 5546 2007-08 496 473 535 300 343 369 539 439 437 413 444 432 386 5606 2008-09 501 478 471 308 352 378 550 449 447 423 454 442 332 5585 2009-10 531 489 485 314 360 386 563 459 457 432 464 452 340 5732 2010-11 544 501 496 322 369 396 576 468 467 442 474 462 347 5864 2011-12 556 514 508 329 377 404 588 479 477 452 484 473 355 5996

Low K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 341 337 382 292 322 288 425 379 394 399 476 305 297 4637 2005-06 409 334 421 286 296 330 459 362 400 348 447 285 241 4618 2006-07 373 425 386 248 277 317 381 352 355 358 380 238 264 4354 2007-08 398 310 433 250 256 318 423 360 354 319 356 297 282 4356 2008-09 333 335 437 252 251 320 427 363 357 321 360 299 284 4339 2009-10 352 315 442 254 254 323 431 366 360 324 363 301 286 4371 2010-11 356 318 431 256 255 326 435 369 363 327 366 204 289 4295 2011-12 359 319 451 258 258 329 458 373 367 327 366 304 289 4458

Average K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 414 428 472 327 373 346 480 424 435 452 497 341 345 5332 2005-06 495 431 474 339 342 394 518 399 418 395 496 342 281 5322 2006-07 417 474 430 296 324 344 436 391 396 411 427 293 313 4951 2007-08 447 392 484 275 300 344 481 400 396 366 400 364 334 4981 2008-09 417 407 454 280 302 349 489 406 402 372 407 370 308 4962 2009-10 442 402 464 284 307 355 497 413 409 378 413 377 313 5052 2010-11 450 410 464 289 312 361 506 419 415 385 420 383 318 5130 2011-12 458 417 480 294 318 367 523 426 422 390 425 388 322 5227

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 21 Enrollment Projections

East Bank High K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 433 491 466 468 451 455 395 391 461 384 505 451 407 5758 2005-06 420 493 439 436 531 434 470 382 426 413 576 478 331 5829 2006-07 408 466 415 445 426 427 425 391 423 350 502 421 375 5474 2007-08 365 437 383 456 492 391 389 385 406 364 471 523 400 5462 2008-09 373 453 439 469 492 408 404 394 408 372 482 538 469 5701 2009-10 404 470 455 486 507 407 417 404 386 380 493 553 550 5912 2010-11 413 481 465 496 518 387 426 414 395 388 504 568 563 6018 2011-12 422 493 476 506 528 424 436 424 404 397 516 584 575 6185

Low K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 313 322 285 311 334 352 325 365 379 366 389 276 303 4320 2005-06 306 326 286 288 398 335 315 355 361 392 410 293 246 4311 2006-07 290 291 265 280 358 330 304 331 342 331 345 246 271 3984 2007-08 259 271 270 293 452 299 300 319 326 340 323 306 289 4047 2008-09 266 279 278 302 360 306 307 322 330 343 326 309 243 3971 2009-10 279 286 284 310 479 313 314 325 334 346 329 311 203 4113 2010-11 283 288 287 313 372 317 317 327 337 349 331 314 205 4040 2011-12 286 292 290 316 375 321 321 330 341 352 334 316 206 4080

Average K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 373 407 376 390 393 404 360 378 420 375 447 364 355 5040 2005-06 363 410 363 362 465 385 393 369 394 402 493 385 423 5204 2006-07 349 379 340 363 392 379 365 361 383 341 423 333 323 4729 2007-08 312 354 327 375 472 345 345 352 366 352 397 415 344 4755 2008-09 320 366 359 386 426 357 356 358 369 357 404 423 356 4835 2009-10 342 378 370 398 493 360 366 365 360 363 411 432 376 5012 2010-11 348 385 376 405 445 352 372 371 366 368 417 438 382 5023 2011-12 354 393 383 411 452 373 379 377 373 374 423 445 388 5123

22 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

In d i v i d u a l Sc h o o l En r o l l m e n t Pr o j e c t i o n s This section projects high, low, average and median enrollments for individual schools. Like other projections provided herein, these were calculated based on actual enrollments from previous years and live birth data for the specific enrollment area.

Projections by definition go beyond the years for which actual data is available.

Official 2007-2008 enrollment figures for the St. Charles Public Schools had not been released at the time this assessment was issued. As noted previously, live birth data for St. Charles Parish and the rest of Louisiana is currently available only through 2004.

Going beyond, yet anchored by, actual data, this assessment uses previous year’s estimates to develop projections moving forward. Projections for the years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 both incor- porate increments of10% to reflect the spike in enrollment after Hurricane Katrina. Projections for 2006/07 are based on the actual enrollments for 2003-2004, reflect- ing the return to historic enrollment patterns. Projections for 2007-2008 are based on actual enrollments for 2006-2007. Projections for succeeding years extrapolate on the previous years’ projections, as described below.

The following formulas were used:

• High Estimates: Previous year multiplied by a high rate calculated based on historic enrollments at that grade level at that school, then multiplied by a growth factor of 2%.

• Low Estimates: Previous year multiplied by the low rate calculated based on historic enrollments for that grade level at that school, then multiplied by a growth factor of 1%.

• Average Estimates: Average of High Estimate and Low Estimate for that grade at that school in that year.

• Median Estimates: Previous year multiplied by average rate for the last five years at that grade level at that school, then multiplied by a growth factor of 1.5%.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 23 Individual Schools

Allemands Elementary High K 1 2 Total 2004-05 112 147 148 407 2005-06 132 143 110 384 2006-07 112 137 111 360 2007-08 110 103 131 343 2008-09 108 106 134 348 2009-10 120 108 138 366 2010-11 122 111 141 375 2011-12 124 115 145 384

Low K 1 2 Total 2004-05 83 83 97 263 2005-06 98 77 72 247 2006-07 80 73 86 239 2007-08 78 55 74 207 2008-09 77 55 74 207 2009-10 86 56 75 216 2010-11 86 56 76 218 2011-12 87 56 76 219

Average K 1 2 Total 2004-05 97 115 122 335 2005-06 115 110 91 315 2006-07 96 105 98 300 2007-08 94 79 102 275 2008-09 93 80 104 277 2009-10 103 82 106 291 2010-11 104 84 108 296 2011-12 105 86 111 301

Median K 1 2 Total 2004-05 98 110 126 335 2005-06 116 103 93 312 2006-07 97 101 115 313 2007-08 95 75 99 270 2008-09 94 76 101 271 2009-10 104 77 103 284 2010-11 105 79 104 288 2011-12 106 80 106 293

24 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

R.J. Vial Elementary High 3 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 111 115 111 115 452 2005-06 131 108 123 120 481 2006-07 103 105 102 106 416 2007-08 122 94 116 125 457 2008-09 124 96 119 127 467 2009-10 127 98 122 130 478 2010-11 130 101 124 134 489 2011-12 133 103 127 137 500

Low 3 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 90 99 85 90 365 2005-06 106 93 95 84 376 2006-07 82 89 76 77 324 2007-08 96 80 87 91 354 2008-09 97 81 88 92 358 2009-10 98 81 88 93 361 2010-11 99 82 89 93 363 2011-12 100 83 90 94 366

Average 3 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 101 107 98 103 408 2005-06 118 100 109 102 429 2006-07 92 97 89 92 370 2007-08 109 87 102 108 406 2008-09 111 88 103 110 412 2009-10 113 90 105 112 419 2010-11 115 91 107 113 426 2011-12 117 93 108 115 433

Median 3 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 100 108 100 102 409 2005-06 117 101 111 106 436 2006-07 91 98 91 93 373 2007-08 108 88 104 109 409 2008-09 110 89 105 111 415 2009-10 112 91 107 112 422 2010-11 113 92 108 114 428 2011-12 115 94 110 116 435

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 25 Individual Schools

A.A. Songy Kindergarten High K Total 2004-05 225 225 2005-06 262 262 2006-07 217 217 2007-08 243 243 2008-09 247 247 2009-10 261 261 2010-11 268 268 s 2011-12 275 275

Low K Total 2004-05 167 167 2005-06 194 194 2006-07 217 217 2007-08 243 243 2008-09 178 178 2009-10 188 188 2010-11 191 191 2011-12 193 193

Average K Total 2004-05 196 196 2005-06 228 228 2006-07 217 217 2007-08 243 243 2008-09 213 213 2009-10 224 224 2010-11 229 229 2011-12 234 234

Median K Total 2004-05 203 203 2005-06 236 236 2006-07 194 194 2007-08 217 217 2008-09 221 221 2009-10 233 233 2010-11 237 237 2011-12 241 241

26 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

Mimosa Park Elementary High 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 258 227 231 717 2005-06 231 246 237 713

2006-07 238 210 214 662 2007-08 233 247 188 668 2008-09 239 176 193 607 2009-10 244 181 197 622 2010-11 250 185 202 637 2011-12 256 189 206 652

Low 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 198 164 172 534 2005-06 178 178 175 531 2006-07 179 147 154 480 2007-08 175 173 136 483 2008-09 177 174 137 488 2009-10 178 176 138 492 2010-11 180 177 139 496 2011-12 181 179 140 501

Average 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 228 196 201 625 2005-06 204 212 206 622 2006-07 235 179 154 568 2007-08 204 210 162 576 2008-09 208 175 165 547 2009-10 211 178 167 557 2010-11 215 181 170 566 2011-12 219 184 173 576

Average 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 224 189 199 611 2005-06 200 204 203 608 2006-07 204 172 181 557 2007-08 200 202 160 561 2008-09 203 205 162 569 2009-10 206 208 165 578 2010-11 209 211 167 587 2011-12 212 214 170 596

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 27 Individual Schools

Lakewood Elementary High 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 251 239 230 720 2005-06 221 282 248 751 2006-07 231 220 212 663 2007-08 214 224 207 644 2008-09 219 229 212 660 2009-10 224 234 217 675 2010-11 229 240 222 691 2011-12 234 245 227 707

Low 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 194 177 159 530 2005-06 172 209 172 553 2006-07 176 220 141 537 2007-08 163 224 138 524 2008-09 157 225 139 522 2009-10 159 227 140 526 2010-11 160 229 141 531 2011-12 162 232 142 536

Average 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 223 208 194 625 2005-06 197 246 210 652 2006-07 204 220 176 600 2007-08 188 224 173 584 2008-09 188 226 176 590 2009-10 191 231 179 601 2010-11 195 235 181 610 2011-12 198 239 184 621

Median 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 225 206 196 627 2005-06 198 243 212 653 2006-07 205 187 178 571 2007-08 190 194 174 558 2008-09 193 197 177 567 2009-10 196 200 180 575 2010-11 199 203 182 584 2011-12 202 206 185 593

28 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

J.B. Martin Middle High 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 180 324 315 639 2005-06 214 302 273 575 2006-07 165 296 288 584 2007-08 209 300 286 586 2008-09 213 307 292 599 2009-10 218 314 298 611 2010-11 223 320 304 624 2011-12 227 327 310 638

Low 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 162 278 293 571 2005-06 192 264 297 561 2006-07 147 263 266 528 2007-08 185 267 263 529 2008-09 187 269 265 535 2009-10 189 272 268 540 2010-11 191 274 270 545 2011-12 192 277 273 550

Average 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 171 301 304 605 2005-06 203 283 285 568 2006-07 156 279 277 556 2007-08 197 284 274 558 2008-09 200 288 279 567 2009-10 203 293 283 576 need to redo place of seper- 2010-11 207 297 287 585 2011-12 210 302 292 594 age tables

Median 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 169 304 306 611 2005-06 200 284 311 595 2006-07 154 277 279 556 2007-08 194 281 277 558 2008-09 197 285 281 566 2009-10 200 290 285 575 2010-11 203 294 290 584 2011-12 206 298 294 592

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 29 Individual Schools

Luling Elementary High K 1 2 Sub 3 4 5 Sub Total 2004-05 149 113 187 450 131 173 164 467 917 2005-06 186 154 171 511 155 166 175 496 1007 2006-07 132 173 153 458 129 140 150 419 878 2007-08 143 130 157 430 112 129 145 387 817 2008-09 146 133 161 441 115 133 149 396 837 2009-10 150 137 166 452 117 136 152 406 858 2010-11 154 140 170 464 120 140 156 415 879 2011-12 157 144 174 476 123 143 159 425 901

Low K 1 2 Sub 3 4 5 Sub Total 2004-05 91 56 121 269 120 128 111 359 628 2005-06 117 79 171 367 111 124 121 357 723 2006-07 76 80 153 310 94 101 97 292 602 2007-08 77 80 186 344 114 93 94 301 645 2008-09 78 81 189 347 115 94 95 304 651 2009-10 78 81 191 351 116 95 96 306 657 2010-11 79 82 194 354 117 95 97 309 663 2011-12 79 82 196 358 118 96 97 311 669

Average K 1 2 Sub 3 4 5 Sub Total 2004-05 110 85 154 349 125 150 138 413 762 2005-06 137 116 171 423 133 145 148 426 850 2006-07 141 127 153 420 112 120 124 356 776 2007-08 119 105 172 395 113 111 120 344 739 2008-09 112 107 175 394 115 113 122 350 744 2009-10 114 109 178 401 117 115 93 324 726 2010-11 116 111 182 409 118 117 126 362 771 2011-12 118 113 185 417 120 120 128 368 785

Median K 1 2 Sub 3 4 5 Sub Total 2004-05 121 95 145 362 113 148 143 404 766 2005-06 153 131 133 417 135 143 154 432 849 2006-07 105 144 116 365 110 118 129 358 723 2007-08 114 108 141 363 96 109 125 330 693 2008-09 115 110 143 369 97 111 127 335 703 2009-10 117 112 145 374 99 112 129 340 714 2010-11 119 114 148 380 100 114 131 345 725 2011-12 120 116 150 386 102 116 133 350 736

30 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

R.K. Smith Middle High 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 124 145 160 430 2005-06 114 133 163 410 2006-07 114 133 149 396 2007-08 123 139 151 413 2008-09 125 142 155 422 2009-10 128 145 159 432 2010-11 131 148 163 442 2011-12 134 152 167 453

Low 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 104 101 101 306 2005-06 95 98 103 296 2006-07 93 89 89 272 2007-08 100 93 91 284 2008-09 101 94 92 287 2009-10 102 94 92 289 2010-11 103 95 93 291 2011-12 104 96 94 293

Avearge 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 114 123 123 360 2005-06 104 116 133 353 2006-07 104 111 119 334 2007-08 112 116 121 348 2008-09 113 118 123 354 2009-10 115 120 126 361 2010-11 117 122 128 367 2011-12 119 124 131 373

Median 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 114 130 134 378 2005-06 104 119 137 360 2006-07 103 118 123 344 2007-08 111 123 125 359 2008-09 96 95 127 319 2009-10 98 97 253 448 2010-11 99 98 257 455 2011-12 101 100 261 462

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 31 Individual Schools

Hahnville High School High 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 505 517 377 394 1795 2005-06 441 546 400 320 1707 2006-07 464 474 347 362 1647 2007-08 413 444 432 386 1676 2008-09 423 454 442 332 1651 2009-10 432 464 452 340 1688 2010-11 442 474 462 347 1726 2011-12 452 484 473 355 1764

Low 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 399 476 305 297 1477 2005-06 348 447 285 241 1321 2006-07 358 380 238 264 1240 2007-08 319 356 297 282 1254 2008-09 321 360 299 284 1264 2009-10 324 363 301 286 1275 2010-11 327 366 304 289 1285 2011-12 327 366 304 289 1285

Average 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 452 497 341 345 1636 2005-06 395 496 342 281 1514 2006-07 411 427 293 313 1444 2007-08 366 400 364 334 1465 2008-09 372 407 370 308 1458 2009-10 378 413 377 313 1481 2010-11 385 420 383 318 1506 2010-12 390 425 388 322 1525

Median 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 431 475 357 351 1613 2005-06 376 501 378 285 1540 2006-07 390 431 313 318 1452 2007-08 347 405 389 340 1481 2008-09 320 411 395 395 1521 2009-10 324 417 402 401 1544 2010-11 329 423 408 407 1567 2011-12 333 429 414 413 1590

32 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

Norco K–3 High K 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 103 114 99 89 405 2005-06 108 125 99 88 420 2006-07 94 107 92 82 375 2007-08 79 124 124 112 438 2008-09 79 127 127 114 447 2009-10 85 131 131 117 464 2010-11 87 135 134 119 476 2011-12 89 139 138 121 488

Low K 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 78 71 63 84 296 2005-06 83 88 63 79 313 2006-07 70 63 56 67 257 2007-08 59 73 76 92 300 2008-09 59 74 77 93 302 2009-10 63 75 77 94 309 2010-11 64 75 78 95 312 2011-12 65 76 79 96 315

Average K 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 91 92 81 86 258 2005-06 95 107 81 83 260 2006-07 82 85 74 74 301 2007-08 69 98 100 102 359 2008-09 69 101 102 104 338 2009-10 74 103 104 105 357 2010-2011 76 105 106 107 363 2011-12 77 108 108 109 368

Median K 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 86 82 76 80 324 2005-06 108 103 76 79 366 2006-07 79 75 70 72 296 2007-08 91 86 94 99 371 2008-09 93 88 95 101 376 2009-10 95 89 97 102 382 2010-11 96 90 98 104 388 2011-12 98 92 99 105 394

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 33 Individual Schools

Norco 4–6 High 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 137 111 104 352 2005-06 186 120 100 407 2006-07 125 103 95 323 2007-08 165 104 103 372 2008-09 169 106 106 381 2009-10 172 109 108 389 2010-11 176 111 111 397 2011-12 179 113 113 406

Low 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 119 92 87 299 2005-06 162 100 83 345 2006-07 108 84 79 270 2007-08 142 85 86 312 2008-09 143 85 87 315 2009-10 144 86 87 318 2010-11 146 87 88 321 2011-12 147 88 89 325

Average 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 128 102 96 326 2005-06 174 110 92 376 2006-07 116 93 87 297 2007-08 154 94 95 342 2008-09 156 96 96 348 2009-10 158 97 98 354 2010-11 161 99 100 359 2011-12 163 101 101 365

Median 4 5 6 Total 2004-05 130 99 93 322 2005-06 177 107 89 372 2006-07 118 90 85 293 2007-08 156 91 92 339 2008-09 159 92 94 345 2009-10 161 94 95 350 2010-11 161 99 97 356 2011-12 163 100 98 362

34 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

New Sarpy Kindergarten High K Total 2004-05 180 180 2005-06 176 176 2006-07 176 176 2007-08 161 161 2008-09 170 170 2009-10 190 190 2010-11 194 194 2011-12 198 198

Low K Total 2004-05 135 135 2005-06 132 132 2006-07 132 132 2007-08 121 121 2008-09 128 128 2009-10 133 133 2010-11 135 135 2011-12 136 136

Average K Total 2004-05 158 158 2005-06 154 154 2006-07 154 154 2007-08 141 141 2008-09 149 149 2009-10 162 162 2010-11 164 164 2011-12 167 167

Average K Total 2004-05 159 159 2005-06 155 155 2006-07 155 155 2007-08 143 143 2008-09 150 150 2009-10 157 157 2010-11 160 160 2011-12 162 162

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 35 Individual Schools

New Sarpy 1–3 High 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 221 210 219 650 2005-06 215 205 214 634 2006-07 215 205 214 634 2007-08 197 148 196 541 2008-09 208 199 207 614 2009-10 218 208 217 643 2010-11 222 212 221 655 2011-12 227 216 225 668

Low 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 131 128 132 391 2005-06 127 125 129 381 2006-07 127 125 129 381 2007-08 117 115 118 350 2008-09 123 121 125 369 2009-10 129 127 131 387 2010-11 130 128 132 390 2011-12 132 129 133 394

Average 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 176 169 176 521 2005-06 171 165 172 508 2006-07 171 165 172 508 2007-08 157 131 157 445 2008-09 166 160 166 492 2009-10 173 167 174 514 2010-11 176 170 176 522 2011-12 179 172 179 530

Median 1 2 3 Total 2004-05 175 163 165 503 2005-06 171 159 161 491 2006-07 171 159 161 491 2007-08 157 146 148 451 2008-09 166 154 156 476 2009-10 173 161 163 497 2010-11 176 163 166 505 2011-12 178 166 168 512

36 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

Ethel Schoeffner High 4 5 6 Totals Elementary 2004-05 205 201 174 580 2005-06 200 196 170 566 2006-07 200 196 170 566 2007-08 183 180 156 519 2008-09 193 190 164 548 2009-10 202 199 172 573 2010-11 206 203 175 584 2011-12 210 207 179 596

Low 4 5 6 Totals 2004-05 136 136 136 408 2005-06 132 133 133 398 2006-07 132 133 133 398 2007-08 122 122 122 365 2008-09 128 128 128 385 2009-10 134 134 134 403 2010-11 135 136 135 406 2011-12 136 137 137 410

Average 4 5 6 Totals 2004-05 170 169 155 494 2005-06 166 164 151 482 2006-07 166 164 151 482 2007-08 152 151 139 442 2008-09 161 159 146 466 2009-10 168 167 153 488 2010-11 171 171 155 497 2011-12 173 173 158 505

Median 4 5 6 Totals 2004-05 159 158 151 467 2005-06 155 154 147 456 2006-07 155 154 147 456 2007-08 142 141 135 418 2008-09 150 149 142 441 2009-10 157 151 145 452 2010-11 159 153 147 459 2011-12 161 156 149 465

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 37 Individual Schools

St. Rose Elementary K–5 High K 1 2 3 4 5 Total 2004-05 150 156 157 160 109 143 875 2005-06 136 153 135 134 145 118 821 2006-07 138 144 118 149 101 131 780 SRE 2007-08 125 116 111 148 127 107 733 2008-09 124 118 113 148 130 4 638 2009-10 129 121 116 152 133 99 750 2010-11 132 124 119 156 136 101 768 2011-12 135 127 122 160 139 104 787

Low K 1 2 3 4 5 Total 2004-05 100 113 94 95 79 124 605 2005-06 91 111 98 80 104 102 586 2006-07 88 101 84 84 70 113 539 2007-08 80 81 79 83 88 92 503 2008-09 79 82 80 84 89 93 506 2009-10 83 82 80 85 90 93 513 2010-11 84 83 81 86 91 94 519 2011-12 85 84 82 87 92 96 525

Average K 1 2 3 4 5 Total 2004-05 125 134 126 128 94 134 740 2005-06 113 132 116 107 125 110 703 2006-07 113 122 101 117 85 122 659 2007-08 103 98 95 116 107 99 618 2008-09 102 100 96 116 109 48 572 2009-10 106 102 98 118 111 96 631 2010-11 108 103 100 121 113 98 643 2011-12 110 105 102 124 115 100 656

Median K 1 2 3 4 5 Total 2004-05 131 135 111 124 93 133 726 2005-06 119 132 115 104 123 109 703 2006-07 119 122 101 113 84 121 659 2007-08 108 98 95 112 106 98 617 2008-09 107 100 96 113 107 100 624 2009-10 111 101 98 115 109 101 636 2010-11 113 103 99 117 111 103 646 2011-12 115 104 101 119 113 104 656

38 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

Albert Cammon Middle High 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 117 110 137 363 2005-06 114 113 124 351 2006-07 130 135 126 391 2007-08 130 141 139 410 2008-09 134 144 135 413 2009-10 137 148 107 392 2010-11 140 152 110 402 2011-12 144 156 112 412

Low 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 102 102 103 308 2005-06 99 105 103 307 2006-07 92 92 93 276 2007-08 92 96 102 290 2008-09 92 97 103 292 2009-10 93 98 104 295 2010-11 94 98 105 297 2011-12 95 99 106 300

Average 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 110 106 120 335 2005-06 106 109 114 329 2006-07 111 113 109 333 2007-08 111 118 121 350 2008-09 113 121 119 353 2009-10 115 123 106 344 2010-11 117 125 107 350 2011-12 119 127 109 356

Median 6 7 8 Total 2004-05 123 123 118 363 2005-06 119 126 117 363 2006-07 112 112 107 331 2007-08 112 117 118 348 2008-09 114 119 120 353 2009-10 116 121 122 359 2010-11 118 123 123 364 2011-12 120 125 125 370

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 39 Individual Schools

Harry Hurst Middle High 7 8 Total 2004-05 281 324 605 2005-06 269 302 571 2006-07 256 297 553 2007-08 244 267 512 2008-9 250 273 523 2009-10 256 279 535 H 2010-11 262 285 547 M 2011-12 268 292 560 S

Low 7 8 Total 2004-05 263 276 539 2005-06 250 258 507 2006-07 239 249 488 2007-08 223 224 447 2008-9 225 227 452 2009-10 227 230 457 2010-11 229 232 462 2011-12 231 235 466

Average 7 8 Total 2004-05 272 300 572 2005-06 259 280 539 2006-07 248 273 521 2007-08 234 246 479 2008-09 237 250 488 2009-10 241 255 496 2010-11 245 259 504 2011-12 249 262 511

Median 7 8 Total 2004-05 269 297 567 2005-06 256 277 534 2006-07 245 270 515 2007-08 230 243 473 2008-09 234 247 481 2009-10 237 251 488 2010-11 241 254 495 2011-12 245 254 499

40 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Individual Schools

Destrehan High High 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 384 505 451 407 1747 2005-06 413 576 478 331 1797 2006-07 350 502 421 375 1647 2007-08 364 471 523 400 1758 2008-9 372 482 538 469 1861 2009-10 380 493 553 550 1976 2010-11 388 504 568 563 2023 2011-12 397 516 584 575 2072

Low 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 366 389 276 303 1334 2005-06 392 410 293 246 1341 2006-07 331 345 246 271 1193 2007-08 340 323 306 289 1258 2008-9 343 326 309 243 1221 2009-10 346 329 311 203 1188 2010-11 349 331 314 205 1198 2011-12 352 334 316 206 1208

Average 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 375 447 364 355 1540 2005-06 402 493 385 423 1704 2006-07 341 423 333 323 1420 2007-08 352 397 415 344 1508 2008-09 357 404 423 356 1541 2009-10 363 411 432 376 1582 2010-11 368 417 438 382 1606 2011-12 374 423 445 388 1630

Median 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 375 496 351 347 1569 2005-06 403 523 372 282 1579 2006-07 341 452 320 315 1428 2007-08 353 424 399 336 1512 2008-09 350 431 405 341 1527 2009-10 348 437 412 346 1543 2010-11 353 444 418 351 1567 2011-12 359 451 425 356 1590

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 41 Parish Enrollment

Parish Enrollment Projections High K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 919 1009 1028 830 875 858 929 860 936 889 1022 828 801 11784 2005-06 1000 1021 966 828 918 891 1046 817 862 854 1122 878 651 11854 2006-07 869 989 889 788 797 797 916 820 860 814 976 768 737 11020 2007-08 861 910 918 756 835 760 928 824 843 777 915 955 786 11068 2008-09 874 931 910 777 844 786 954 843 855 795 936 980 801 11286 2009-10 935 959 94 800 867 793 980 863 843 812 957 1005 890 10798 2010-11 957 982 961 818 887 783 1002 887 862 830 978 1030 910 11887 2011-12 978 1007 984 835 905 828 1024 903 881 849 1000 1057 930 12181

Lowt K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 654 659 667 603 656 640 750 744 773 765 865 581 600 8957 2005-06 715 660 707 574 694 665 774 717 761 740 857 578 487 8929 2006-07 663 716 651 528 635 647 685 683 697 689 725 484 535 8338 2007-08 657 581 703 543 708 617 723 679 680 659 679 603 571 8403 2008-09 599 614 715 554 611 626 734 685 687 664 686 608 527 8310 2009-10 631 601 726 564 733 636 745 691 694 670 692 612 489 8484 2010-11 639 606 718 569 627 643 752 696 700 676 697 518 494 8335 2011-12 645 611 741 574 633 650 779 703 708 679 700 620 495 8538

Average K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 2004-05 787 835 848 717 766 731 840 802 855 827 944 705 700 10357 2005-06 858 841 837 701 807 779 911 768 812 797 989 727 704 10531 2006-07 766 853 770 659 716 723 801 752 779 752 850 626 636 9683 2007-08 759 746 811 650 772 689 826 752 762 718 797 779 678 9739 2008-09 737 773 813 666 728 706 845 764 771 729 811 793 664 9800 2009-10 784 780 834 682 800 715 863 778 769 741 824 809 689 10068 2010-11 798 795 840 694 757 713 878 790 781 753 837 821 700 10157 2011-12 812 810 863 705 770 740 902 803 795 764 848 833 710 10355

42 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Capacity to Meet Needs

Ca p a c i t y t o Me e t Pr e s e n t a n d Fu t u r e Ne e d s The purpose of developing enrollment projections is to enable school facility planners to look to the future, relating school capacity to present and future needs. Projections serve the critical function of indicating which school facilities are likely to need additional capacity and when such needs are likely to occur.

Existing public school facilities and their capacities are listed below.

St. Charles Public School Facilities Permanent Building School Student Number of Square Site Capacity Classrooms Footage Acreage West Bank Allemands Elementary 600 30 48,141 10.00 R. J Vial Elementary 480 24 48,167 11.76 A.A. Songy Kindergarten 300 15 34,319 10.00 Mimosa Park Elementary 620 31 50,384 8.06 Lakewood Elementary 720 36 72,866 20.00 J.B. Martin Middle 558 31 74,165 20.00 Luling Elementary 640 32 91,425 11.00 R.K. Smith Middle 486 27 89,188 39.72 Hahnville HS 1,744 109 269,290.2 39.72 Satellite Center 200 8 29,135 5.0

East Bank Norco Elementary 760 37 76475.75 20.57 New Sarpy Elementary 880 44 65,000 15.08 Ethel Schoeffner Elementary 780 39 73,950 10.00 St. Rose Elementary K–5 940 48 96,073 9.10 Albert Cammon Middle 576 28 60,598 12.70 Harry Hurst Middle 594 43 89,903.25 28.32 Destrehan High 1,504 94 259,290.2 33.45

Multiple factors must be considered in school facility planning. There is a growing trend for public school systems to provide instruction for 4 year olds. The St. Charles Parish Public School System currently provides classes for approximately 50% of the four year olds residing in the district. If the school board decides to offer preschool classes for all four year olds in the future, approximately 20 more classrooms would be needed. There is also a growing trend to provide more supplementary educational programs to meet the instructional needs of students. This trend toward differentiated instruction requires additional space for special and general education resource programs, alternative centers, specialized career and technical education classes, and technology labs. As special education programs serve students with more physical and health issues space is needed for specialized equipment and nurs- ing care.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 43 Capacity to Meet Needs

Schools in Louisiana are subject to the Life Safety Code, published by the National Fire Protection Association and enforced by the Louisiana State Fire Marshall. The code, which originated in 1913 in response to a number of major fires involving loss of life, emphasizes ensuring means of “construction and arrangements of exit facilities for factories, schools and other occupancies.” Updated after a series of disastrous fires in the 1940s, the code has become a recognized model for building safety legislation nationwide. The code is also used by insurance companies in determining liability, evaluating risks and setting rates.

The Life Safety Code applies to existing structures as well as new structures. The code is coordinated with other building codes and standards, such as the International Building Codes, adopted statewide, which is now being enforced by the St. Charles Parish Department of Planning and Zoning.

Life Safety Code Standards for Educational Occupancy reflect the age of the children and the activities for which specific rooms will be used. The standards are as follows: • Classrooms: 20 net square feet per person; • Shops, laboratories and similar vocation rooms: 50 net square feet per person; • Day–care centers: 35 square feet per person. • Additional age–based requirements, such as only allowing kindergarten classrooms to be located on the first floor.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has established standards for the number of students per class. These are as follows: • Grades kindergarten to 3: 29 students per class; • Grades 4 to 12: 33 students per class.

Louisiana’s minimum allowed size for classrooms is: • Grades kindergarten to 3: 620 square feet; • Grades 4 to 12: 700 square feet.

Safe occupancy design load standards also consider the purpose for which rooms will be used, the type of furniture, utilities, sprinkler systems and exits. Special function classrooms such as laboratories and shops where chemicals and power tools are used require additional safety considerations. A recent Texas study found a correlation between class size and accidents in high school science laboratories. More than 27% of reported accidents occurred in classes with more than 24 students, while 66% occurred when the space allotment per student was 45 square feet or less. (“Penny–Wise Decisions.” Paul Abramson. School Planning & Management, 2007).

In 1995, the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International (CEFPI) reported gross square foot per student averages for schools in the United States and Canada. CEFPI does not set standards, but it does publish respected comparative guidelines, based on actual practice, on topics regarding educational facility planning. These figures include not just instructional space, but also areas used for administration; auditoriums; gymnasiums; and cafeterias; maintenance and utility rooms; and support areas such as corridors, stairwells and walls. Grouped by geographic region, these averages also reflect regional differences related to temperature and weather influences.

44 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Capacity to Meet Needs

Gross Square Feet per Student—National Averages Location Average Range Elementary Schools Southern States 70.1 46–107 Other States 111.5 77–147 Canada 104.2 74–133 Middle Schools Southern States 81.2 77–90 Other States 154.4 114–212 Canada 96.5 77–116 High Schools Southern States 101.9 70–158 Other States 160.7 123–211 Canada 130.4 91–166 Source: CEFPI Issue Trak Briefing Papers, November 1995.

Comparison to Regional Average: Projected Square Footage Per Student Regional Aver- West Bank 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 age Allemands 178 116 113 70.1 R.J. Vial 117 114 110 81.2 A.A. Songy 158 153 147 70.1 Mimosa Park 90 90 87 70.1 Lakewood 131 132 128 81.2 J.B. Martin 132 128 124 81.2 Luling Elem. 132 128 124 70.1 R. K.Smith Mid 248 249 242 81.2 Hahnville HS 182 197 192 101.9 Regional East Bank 1999-2000 2004-06 2009-10 Average Norco K-3 108 104 101 70.1 New Sarpy Elem 114 104 101 70.1 Schoeffner Elem 165 162 157 70.1 St. Rose Elem 156 149 145 70.1 Cammon 174 169 164 81.2 Hurst Middle 136 105 95 137 217 198 195 70.1 Destrehan HS 225 210 204 101.9

The Council of Educational Facilities Planners International recommends comparing gross square footage per student to regional averages for elementary, middle and high schools. According to CEFPI, the Life Safety Code provides minimal requirements, but does not reflect the space requirements of a

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 45 Capacity to Meet Needs

typical modern school building. As shown in the chart, square footage allocations per student for all schools in the district are superior to the regional average.

Kindergarten classrooms in St. Classroom Size Comparison Charles’ two K-5 schools measure Grade Level State Minimum St. Charles 1,200 square feet and have their own Kindergarten 620 sq. ft. 1,200 sq. ft. restrooms. Classrooms in the district’s Elementary 1–3 620 sq. ft. 1,080 sq. ft. elementary schools currently average Middle School 4–8 700 sq. ft. 1,080 sq. ft. 750 to 800 square feet. The district’s High School 9–12 700 sq. ft. 940 sq. ft. square footage goals for classrooms are significantly higher than the state minimums. Class Size Comparison School Type State Minimum St. Charles The St. Charles Public School Elementary 26 20 System also aims for significantly Middle School 33 20 smaller class sizes than the state maxi- High School 33 19 mums.

The chart below relates median projected enrollments to school capacity for the years 2007/08, 2009-10 and 2011/12. The district has addressed the most pressing capacity issues identified in earlier strategic plans and reports no schools currently at or over capacity. However, if enrollments develop as projected, Luling Elementary and J.B. Martin Middle School on the West Bank and Norco K-3 and Norco 4-6 and Destrehan High School on the East Bank could be over capacity. Development in the vicinities of these schools, as well as their enrollments should be monitored closely, with measures taken to expand capacity if necessary. Since the student capacity figures include portable classrooms, such capacity adjustments can be made if necessary.

Student Capacity By School School Projected Enrollment School Projected Enrollment West Bank 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 Capacity East Bank 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 Capacity Allemands 270 284 293 600 Norco Elem 710 732 756 760 R.J. Vial 409 422 435 480 New Sarpy 591 620 639 880 Songy K 217 233 241 300 Schoeffner 448 458 472 780 Mimosa 561 578 596 620 Harry Hurst 473 488 499 594 Lakewood 558 575 593 720 St. Rose Elem 617 636 656 960 J.B. Martin 558 575 592 558 Albert Cammon 348 359 370 876 Luling Elem 693 714 736 640 Destrehan HS 1512 1543 1590 1504 R.K. Smith 359 448 462 486 Hahnville HS 1481 1544 1590 1744

46 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Growth and Capacity

Gr o w t h a n d Sc h o o l Ca p a c i t y Cost is, of course, the other key variable in planning school capacity. Post–disaster reconstruction has caused a significant increase in the costs of both labor and materials in St. Charles and the surrounding region. A report issued in 2006 by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) noted sharp rises in the price of steel, concrete, gypsum products and insulation, as well as occasional shortages of these materials. Prices for petroleum–based construction products, most notably roofing materials, PVC piping and asphalt paving, have also been on the rise. Transportation costs associated with construction have risen along the fuel prices. (“The Economic and Construction Outlook in the Gulf States after Hurricane Katrina.”).

In 2000, the St. Charles Public School System estimated per square foot construction costs at $80 to $100. Current construction estimates now stand at $100 to $150 per square foot and in some parts of the country have risen to $200 per square foot. The two tables below compare construction costs at the four levels and provide a graphic depiction of the relationship between rising prices and the complexity of school facility planning.

Estimated Construction Costs Per Classroom: Students per Classroom Grade Class Size $80 psf $100 psf $150 psf $200 psf K 20 1,200 sq. ft. $96,000 $120,000 $180,000 $240,000 4–8 18 1,080 sq. ft. $86,400 $108,000 $162,000 $216,000 9–12 16 940 sq. ft. $75,200 $94,000 $141,000 $188,000

Per Student/Per Classroom Construction Costs: Grade At $80 psf At $100 psf At $150 psf At $200 psf K $4,800 $6,000 $9,000 $12,000 4-8 $4,800 $6,000 $9,000 $12,000 9–12 $4,700 $5,875 $8,813 $11,750

The age and condition of school facilities also affect school capacity. In 2006, Building Educational Success Together (BEST) issued a study of public school construction. BEST found that the national average annual per pupil expenditure for school construction was $6,519. Louisiana’s per pupil annual expenditure was $3,008, the lowest of any state in the region. The BEST report noted a correlation between declining enrollments and construction spending below the national average. Louisiana had declining enrollment and spent less than the national averages even before the 2005 storms.

St. Charles has an excellent record of school maintenance and improvements. Maintenance chal- lenges rise with the age of physical plant and increasing construction costs. School facilities have an estimated 50-year useful lifespan. The school district has kept its physical plant up to date, gradually replacing older facilities built in the 1960s and 1970s. R.K. Smith has replaced E.J. Landry Middle School. Some facilities have been converted to other uses such as a Head Start center and the Landry Alternative Center. Some have been demolished, with replacement school built in the same location. For example St. Rose Elementary was constructed to replace St. Rose Primary. The newest school build-

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 47 Growth and Capacity

ings were opened in 2005 and 2006 respectively, the next newest were opened in 2000 and 2001. The school district recognizes that it will need to find ways to finance increasingly expensive renovation and/ or replacement to keep its facilities up to date.

The chart below was developed using an average construction cost of $150 psf. St. Charles’ goal for kindergarten classrooms is 1,200 square feet. For elementary classrooms, the goal is 1,080 and for high school classrooms the goal is 940 square feet.

The estimated increase in cost is projected at 20% from 2010-15 and 10% in 2015-20. The latter figure is based on the expectation that costs should level off along with post-disaster reconstruction.

At the current cost of construction, the average capital outlay to renovate kindergarten to Grade 3 classrooms is classroom is approximately $171, 000, while the capital outlay for a grade 4-8 classroom is $162,000 and for a high school classroom is $141,000.

Projected Cost of Improvements by School in Thousands: School Classrooms 2007–10 2010–15 2015–20 West Bank Allemands 30 K–3 $5,130 $6,156 $6,772 Songy K 15 K $2,565 $3,078 $3,386 Mimosa Park 31 K–3 $5,301 $6,361 $6,997 Luling 21 K–3 $3,595 $4,309 $4,740 Luling 11 4–5 $1,782 $2,138 $2,352 Vial 6 3rd $1,026 $1,231 $1,354 Vial 18 4–6 $2,916 $3,499 $3,849 Lakewood 36 4–6 $5,832 $6,998 $7,698 J. B. Martin 31 7–8 $5,022 $6,026 $6,629 R.K. Smith 27 6–8 $4,374 $5,249 $5,774 Hahnville HS 109 9–12 $15,369 $18,443 $20,287 WB Total $52,908 $63,488 $69,838 East Bank Norco K–3 21 K–3 $3,591 $4,309 $4,740 Norco 4–6 17 4–6 $2,754 $3,305 $3,635 New Sarpy 44 K–3 $7,524 $9,029 $9,932 St. Rose 33 K–3 $5,643 $6,772 $7,449 St. Rose 15 4–6 $2,430 $2,916 $3,208 Schoeffner 39 4–6 $6,318 $7,582 $8,340 Hurst Middle 43 7–8 $6,966 $8,359 $9,195 Cammon Mid 32 6–8 $5,184 $6,221 $6,843 Destrehan HS 94 9–12 $13,254 $15,905 $17,495 EB Total $53,664 $64,398 $70,837

Parish Total $106,572 $127,886 $140,675

48 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Growth and Capacity

Facility planning has changed to accommodate changes in teaching styles. Teachers in the St. Charles Public School System do some team teaching. The district also has flexible programs for instruction in math and English language art. Flexible programs require different kinds of spaces. They also take more space than was available in earlier schools. (“Providing Space for the Future.” Paul Abramson. School Planning & Management. 2005).

Today’s schools also need to provide a broader range of resources. Most schools presently in use (and many state per- pupil space regulations) were already in use in the 1970s. At that time the median elementary school provided 70 square feet per pupil and technology was generally limited to overhead and slide projectors. Today, the median elementary school in the United States provides 120 square feet per pupil, an increase of more than 70%. Technology regularly utilized today includes television, computers and other electronic devices. This not only requires more space, it also requires schools with significantly more electrical capacity, both in quantity and sophistication. (Abramson, 2005).

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 49 Recommendations

50 St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment Recommendations

Re c ommendations f o r Consideration The St. Charles Public School System has consistently been proactive in addressing capacity issues in its schools. The rising cost of construction and the many unknown factors present in the post–disaster and recovery environment add to the complexity of facility planning. Key questions remain unanswered. How many additional students will actually enroll in the school district? At which ages will these students enter the school system? In what enrollment zones will they enter the school system?

Use of numerous portable classroom buildings indicates a number of schools may be nearing the carrying capacity of their original structures.

Recommendations:

1. That the School District continue to participate in the parish’s subdivision approval process. Involvement in the planning process enables the School District to assess the impact of new subdivisions on likely demand for school capacity.

2. That the School District exercise its option to purchase the 10 acres in the Ashton subdivision for $563,000 before the purchase option expires on April 30, 2009.

3. That the School District review its current procedures for financing school construction and renovation and develop a process that relates growth and the costs of building school capacity to meet increased demand.

4. That the School District review its current school building assessment procedures to include a proactive approach to scheduling renovation and/or replacement of school buildings that have passed their estimated useful life spans in their current condition.

St. Charles Parish School Board Needs and Capacity Assessment 51 5058 West Main St., Houma, La 70360 (985) 851-2900