L.A. District’s Top Schools Deluged During Open Enrollment

How many times does 700 go into 75?

For the national academic decathlon champions at El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, the question might seem simple. But for Principal Ronald Bauer, the problem is a difficult one.

Because on Friday, the last day open enrollment applications were taken at hotly sought-after Los Angeles Unified School District campuses, Bauer was faced with nearly 700 students competing for the school’s 75 open enrollment slots.

“We have no more space,” said Bauer, who noted that enrollment at his school has grown by 800 students in the past few years. “More families with school-age children are moving into Woodland Hills. We’re struggling to serve our local boundaries.”

So Bauer will draw numbers Wednesday morning and then break the bad news to 9 out of the 10 parents who had hoped to send their child to El Camino Real through open enrollment.

But this is an exception.

Most schools contacted Friday said they were able to accommodate open enrollment demand despite a drastic decline in available seats, from 22,000 when the program began in 1994 to 7,400 for the 1998-99 school year.

However, at some popular schools known for academic and athletic achievement, space is at a premium and the chances of getting in are low.

With the deadline quickly approaching, Cheryl Lunkusky, head of the attendance office at Hale Middle School, was receiving applications so quickly Friday that she couldn’t process them.

The Woodland Hills school, known for high test scores, has only 143 desks available for students outside its jurisdiction. More than 300 students have applied.

“They’re asking me, ‘If I don’t get in, what will I do?’ ” Lunkusky said. “I’m telling everyone not to count on this. When our 143 slots are filled, they are filled.”

Some parents are finding that moving within school boundaries is the only way to guarantee a space at popular schools.

In Woodland Hills, real estate agents said home sales are brisk, with houses in the Hale and El Camino Real boundaries selling in an average of seven days.

But others are crossing their fingers and hoping their child is one of the lucky ones. That’s the hope of 614 parents who applied to Granada Hills High School, where only 100 students will be chosen.

“When parents came in and heard the number of applications, they seemed surprised,” said Assistant Principal Joan Lewis.

Despite the shrinking numbers, Bruce Takeguma, district assistant director for school management services, said this year’s open enrollment season has gone more smoothly than he expected.

Elementary schools, particularly on the Westside and in the western San Fernendo Valley, have few openings because of booming enrollment and new limitations in class size. But Takeguma said demand for open enrollment--which requires parents to provide transportation to and from the selected school--has always been greatest at the secondary level.