School Redistricting Update
Forum Held, Survey Open
Attendance was strong at the first community forums held for redistricting of St. Mary’s County Public Schools. Registration for the meeting, held on September 26, maxed out quickly, prompting a second session to be held the following evening. Nearly two hundred residents packed the room each night, a combination of parents, students, staff, and community stakeholders wanting to engage in the process.
Karin Bailey, Chair of the Board of Education, opened the meeting I attended on September 27th, thanking the crowd for their involvement and stressing that no decisions had yet been made. Their goal, Bailey said, is always for students to be supported and successful. The crowd was repeatedly assured that proposed plans wouldn’t be considered until all data and public input has been gathered and reviewed. Two team members from Cannon Design, the consulting firm hired by the school system to facilitate the process, led the forum and engaged in activities with the crowd.
First, participants answered a few questions to determine those present and their thoughts about the school experience of kids today. A majority of those attending were from Leonardtown High School’s district, an experience mirrored on the first night according to Kia Saint-Louis from Cannon Design. Common words to describe the school experience were “crowded, stressful, friends, scary, and community” among many others. Saint-Louis reviewed what the scope of redistricting would and would not cover. Importantly, the presentation touched on potential redistricting results divided into three categories: facility, program, and portfolio & policy outcomes.
Data on enrollment was a large part of the conversation as well. Overall, enrollment has trended down since 2016, from a high of 18,335 students to 16,689 this school year. The trend isn’t unique to St. Mary’s County, said Lee Hwang from Cannon Design, but is being seen across the country. Less students are enrolling and moving through completely from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Combined with declining birth rates, another national trend, the result is lower enrollments.
Student enrollment is projected to increase by roughly 600 students over the next decade. So, why redistrict now if enrollment is expected to increase? asked Saint-Louis. To get through the “bubble” of the next five years because it would be expensive to maintain things as they currently are. Lower enrollment means less funding and tighter budgets. Saint-Louis affirmed the process would focus on equity (all students get the same opportunities at all schools) and efficiency (in facility use, class size, operations).
Historically school building utilization from 2019-2025 at the elementary and middle school levels was between 86-98%. At the high school level, building utilization climbed from 103% to as high as 108% over the same period. Over the next ten years, school utilization will increase to 94% at the elementary level, to 92% at the middle schools, and high school utilization will drop to 99%. Presently, there are 1,036 elementary and 442 middle school seats available, but a deficit of 256 high school seats. Trends show an increasing number of elementary and middle school students over the next decade, but a drop in high school enrollments. Schools listed as currently over capacity were Evergreen and Park Hall Elementary, and Leonardtown and Great Mills High Schools. At 85% capacity or less were Oakville, Duke, Leonardtown, Town Creek, Greenview Knolls, Piney Point, and Ridge Elementary; Margaret Brent Middle School, and Chopticon High School.
Attendees ranked a list of statements in priority order. Overall, the results from both nights were pretty similar, with the order on night two being:
Keeping students from the same neighborhoods in the same schools.
Keeping students together from Elementary to Middle to High School.
Affecting the fewest number of families.
Maintaining schools sized for more subjects, electives, and team teaching.
Providing access to a variety of extracurricular activities, including fine arts and sports.
Using existing building capacity and reducing crowding.
Minimizing the distance students travel to school.
Increasing demographic diversity of the student body.
Avoiding cost and disruption of building additions.
A timeline for the entire process gave attendees a look at how things would unfold. Draft options will be developed and workshopped in October by the School Boundary Realignment Committee and Board of Education. In November, Community Forum 2 will present possible options to the public. Then another workshop to identify recommendations based on community feedback will happen in December, with the recommendation from Cannon Design presented for a public forum in February 2026.
Feedback about the process, or eventual options, can be provided anytime via email, a form on the SMCPS redistricting website, or during public comment at Board of Education meetings.
Redistricting Community Survey 1 is available until October 6, 2025. Click here to take the survey.
Mark your calendars for October 28th to attend a Frequently Asked Questions session with the Board of Education. More details will be released as it gets closer.
