180 Days of Learning : CAPISTRANO UNIFIED

Two new schools will open this fall as Capistrano Unified, the third-largest district in the county, continues to expand at a rapid rate.

In the past five years, the district has opened 12 new campuses, and more are scheduled to be built as South County’s student population grows. Enrollment last year was 38,000, a 7.5% increase from 1995-96, officials said, and they expect comparable growth when school starts in September.

The new school sites are Wagon Wheel Elementary and Las Flores Middle School.

Plans for a night high school, which would have been the first in the county, have been shelved because few students expressed interest.

Also this fall, the district will continue its class-size reduction program. Enrollment was capped at 20 students per class in first and second grades last year. That will be expanded to kindergarten this fall, officials said, and a dozen campuses will also reduce class size in third grade.

For ninth-graders across the district, schools will be adding a health education class. Officials said the curriculum will cover a wide range of topics, including AIDS, sexual abstinence, tobacco use and self-esteem.