IRVINE

At least three new elementary schools and one new middle school. That’s what Irvine Unified School District officials said they will need to build over the next 10 years to deal with a student body that is growing as fast as the city.

District trustees discussed the future schools at a workshop Monday afternoon. But some warned that long-term projections for proposed villages can’t be precise for a 10-year time frame.

But even if current forecasts of student growth can’t accurately reflect reality that far into the future, school officials said it was important to plan ahead.

“We’re trying to answer questions of what new facilities we need, if any,” said Corinne Loskot, until recently the director of facilities planning and now a consultant for the district.