Evening School Ends Before It Even Begins : Education: Too few signed up for the planned after-hours program at Glendale High, officials say.

Glendale school officials say they will cancel plans to open what would have been one of the state’s first full-time evening high schools in September because of a lack of student interest.

The proposed school--praised as an innovative solution to overcrowded campuses--was set to operate at Glendale High School under a different name, with a different principal, staff and student body, from about 2 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, hours when classrooms are generally not in use. Such evening schools are rare, with less than a dozen in the country.

But as of Monday, the last day to register for the upcoming school year, only 34 students had signed up to attend Evening High School--far short of the 200 needed.

“I don’t think we could overcome the stigma that Evening High School was not a continuation school and not for students who couldn’t make it in the day,” said district spokesman Vic Pallos.

“Unless a miracle happens with the enrollment,” he added, “it appears that plans for Evening High School will be canceled.”

The district’s board of trustees will make its final decision on Evening High School tonight.

Last year, a survey distributed to 1,094 students in the district showed that 27%--or 302--might be interested in attending a school like Evening High.

Unlike adult-education programs and continuation schools commonly held in the evening, Evening High promised to offer students a core curriculum to meet entrance requirements for the University of California, among other things.

Evening High School’s Principal Don Duncan, who formerly headed Hoover High, launched a months-long recruiting effort for students districtwide, but to little avail.

“Once you get to the bottom line, many said, ‘It’s a good idea, but not for my kid,’ ” Duncan said.

District officials said several factors contributed to the lack of interest.

* Some immigrant families perceive nighttime schools as strictly for teen-agers with disciplinary problems.

* There is a lack of transportation for students, particularly those near Crescenta Valley High, located just outside the city limits but within the Glendale Unified School District.

* Parents worry about having their teen-agers out at night with no supervision during the day.

* Students are hesitant about leaving behind friends or attending a new high school that did not offer interscholastic sports because of its hours.

“When it came right down to signing on the dotted line, they began thinking about some of the problems associated with it,” said Gloria Vasquez, principal of Toll Middle School. “High school is as important to kids socially as it is academically. I think it’s a very good idea whose time has not yet come.”

Garen Khodaverdian, a 16-year-old junior at Hoover High School interested in pursuing international law, said he signed up to attend Evening High in order to take college-level courses elsewhere in the morning.

“I’m sure I can manage” without the courses, he said. “But I wanted to grab the chance to get ahead and I can’t. It sets me back. I’d much rather have it and take more classes.”

Glendale High School currently has 2,400 students in grades 10, 11 and 12. That number is expected to surge to 3,000 this fall with the addition of new ninth-graders, bringing the campus to full capacity, Pallos said.

To alleviate further overcrowding, the district says it may add portable classrooms switch to a year-round schedule at high schools.

The district also could possibly extend the school day at Glendale High, staggering classes to allow some students to end their day at about 6 p.m.

Two other options also remain: Do nothing and hope student enrollment will drop in the next few years or again consider starting Evening High, but for the 1996-97 school year.