Consultant predicts growth’s effect on schools

In response to Glendale’s recent residential development boom, the Glendale Unified School District commissioned a study that projects more than 600 additional students could live in those new units and attend local schools 10 years from now.

Earlier this year, Glendale school officials hired the Irvine-based company DecisionInsite to gauge how the influx of nearly 4,000 residential units in various developmental stages in Glendale could impact the local schools in years to come.

According to results from the study, the growth downtown would have a “moderate” effect on the district, at most, said Bruce Terry, director of residential research for DecisionInsite.

“The bottom line on all of this is the residential impact — from what our findings are at this point — is mild to moderate,” he said.

Across the 21 new multifamily developments under construction, recently opened or coming down the pipeline, his company projected 3,106 of those units could be occupied by October 2019.

DecisionInsite officials found that the most affected campuses will likely be Columbus, Cerritos, John Marshall, R.D. White and Thomas Edison elementary schools.

About 76 more students living in the new units could enroll at Columbus by the 2015-16 school year, he said.

The campus serves about 600 students today, and Terry said about 200 more students would attend Columbus by 2024-25, making that campus the most affected of all five schools.

In 10 years, Cerritos could see 61 more students, while Marshall could have less than 10 additional pupils.

R.D. White and Edison elementary schools could enroll about 15 additional students each, according to DecisionInsite’s projections.