New school’s enrollment well below expectations

Carroll County (Map, News) - If they build it, they’re supposed to come.

But in Carroll County, the school board’s decision to build a new $80 million high school near Manchester is instead meeting opposition from the Charles Carroll community and stifled enrollment.

Projections leading up to 2003, when the school board decided to build the recently named Manchester Valley High School, predicted enrollment would increase over the next few years.

However, enrollment has been falling below those projections.

If the high school opened this year, it could be up to 400 students below its 1,233 capacity, said Bill Caine, schools facilities planner. Next year’s projections are expected in about a week.

It’s causing some to wonder if the school should have been built when it was.

“I questioned why they built the school, although the numbers were going up at that time, and of course they’re going down now,” said Cynthia Foley, a board member who was elected after the decision to build the school was made.

“What I didn’t want was a brand new high school, which really affects two high schools, two high schools running under capacity for what could be 10 years.”

Board members succumbed in 2003 to parents’ clamoring for a new school to alleviate North Carroll High’s overcrowding.

North Carroll had 1,608 students enrolled for a building with a 1,339 capacity, putting it at about 120 percent capacity. Manchester Valley is to take about 770 students from North Carroll, bringing it down to about 60 percent capacity.

msilvestri@baltimoreexaminer.com