Sept. 2, 2024 8:40p
(WGTD)---Kenosha Unified is beginning the new school year Tuesday with about a half-dozen fewer buildings. That’s because of last year’s downsizing, all brought on by a declining birthrate and corresponding lower enrollment.
At the middle school level in Kenosha, four of the district’s remaining middle schools will be absorbing students from last year’s Lincoln attendance area. Lincoln was one of the schools that was closed, after a 95-year-long run as a junior high then as a middle school.
At Lance Middle School, about 125 of the school’s projected enrollment of nearly 900 attended Lincoln Middle last year.
Parent Christina Bess’ son attended Lincoln. Now he’s at Lance. Bess says she has some concerns. “Hopefully everything will work out right,” she said. “I give it about maybe two months and hopefully everybody will be in the jam of things.”
Jess Moreno’s 8th grader is another student who is transitioning from Lincoln to Lance. She said he’s a bit nervous. “Having to transition and do all new things like a 6th grader again has kind of been anxiety-inducing," she said.
At a Lance gear-up event for all students last week, Lance Assistant Principal Mike Makowka said he believed the assimilation process was going well. “I feel like it’s been kind of a similar year,” he said. “It’s just that we have more kids which is kind of nice since it has probably been nine years since we had this population of kids,” he said.
This fall’s projected enrollment at Lance is about 13% higher than last year.
While Lincoln was the only middle school to actually close, Washington Middle is in a new building this year. The old Edward Bain School of Language and Art has been converted to serve a middle school population.
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