Utilization Rates

Understanding School Utilization Rates

School utilization rate measures how effectively a school uses its available space by comparing the number of enrolled students to the building's capacity. However, calculating capacity is complex. Consultants often overestimate capacity by assuming all classrooms can accommodate a full-class load, disregarding specialized spaces like special education or reading resource rooms.

Recognizing this limitation, the district has set an optimal utilization rate of 85% and defined overcrowding at 90%. It's important to note that a school can never truly reach 100% capacity due to the necessary inclusion of specialized spaces.

LCS's Current Situation

Many LCS elementary schools operated near or at 90% utilization during the 2023-2024 school year. With new housing developments in the district, enrollment is likely to increase, further straining available space.

Key points:

• Utilization rate is a crucial metric for school planning.
• Current calculation methods overestimate capacity.
• LCS schools are nearing capacity limits.
• Increased housing development will exacerbate space issues.

Enrollment Trends in LCS

LCS has experienced a 6.6% decline in enrollment since 2019, a trend mirrored by many school districts nationwide. However, the district's budget has been cut by a steeper 8.4% when adjusted for inflation. This discrepancy of 1.8% may seem small but has resulted in significant cuts to staffing, programs, and resources.

It's crucial to recognize that while the pandemic may seem like a distant memory, its impact on students is ongoing. Many students continue to grapple with learning loss and require additional support. Implementing smaller class sizes is one strategy to address these challenges and help students recover from the disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Key points:

• Enrollment decline in LCS outpaces budget cuts.
• Reduced funding has led to staff and program reductions.
• Students continue to face pandemic-related challenges.
• Smaller class sizes can aid in student recovery.

Click here to view Historical Budget Comparisons that summarize the history of LCS budgets (including city allocation, state funding, and city revenues) since 2019.

Mission: Keep Classrooms Small

Conclusive research has shown the benefits of class sizes of 1:15, especially in the primary grades. Since the early 1980s, a large-scale project in Indiana, a major experiment in Tennessee, numerous smaller studies and evaluations of projects that use low adult-to-student ratios have found that youngsters in small classes (1:15 or so) as compared to youngsters in larger classes:

• obtain higher test scores
• participate more in school
• demonstrate improved behavior
• retain many benefits of early class-size reductions in their later years of schooling
• need less remediation in later years
• special education problems are identified earlier so interventions can begin earlier eliminating learning gaps
• higher teacher retention due to:
• reduced workload resulting in reduced stress
• more meaningful relationships
• ability to work closely with adults at home to improve school-community involvement and student performance/behavior
• Students are able to connect with one another and build community resulting in lasting social skills
• more opportunities for every student to participate and/or provide feedback also more collaborative work