The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. Rezoning is taken very seriously, and the district makes every effort to ensure stakeholders are involved in the process. In May 2020, CMCSS began communicating the need for rezoning to families with the construction of the Kirkwood complex.
The population of Montgomery County has increased 27.7% in the last 10 years. Projections indicate the population could see a 40% growth rate in the next 20 years. The effect of this tremendous change can be seen in our local schools.
Growth in CMCSS
- CMCSS has a 30-year average growth of 677 new students every year.
- Current enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year is 37,769 students.
- Oakland, Rossview, and West Creek Elementary schools have recently undergone expansion projects to address capacity. See the current capacity of each school here (pdf).
- School capacity has an impact on the flexibility of programming and extracurricular activities.
- Maintaining a capacity of approximately 85% is the goal of CMCSS.
- The goal of CMCSS is to not rely on portables as a permanent solution.
At the Jan. 4, 2022, School Board Study Session, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard on first reading the recommendation that changes be made to the middle and high school zone lines for the 2022-2023 school year.
In 2021, the district initiated the process of working with a third-party consulting firm, RSP and Associates, with expertise in school system rezoning. In collaboration with the consulting firm and community stakeholders, the CMCSS Zoning Project Team has studied and evaluated existing school zones and building capacities to identify opportunities to better serve students, per the district’s Zoning Procedure (OPS-P017). The following criteria guide the team’s work:
- Rezone as few students as possible
- The proximity of students to existing schools
- Transport students the least distance possible
- Equitable distribution of resources according to the learning needs of all students
- Enrollment capacity of existing schools
- Consideration of free and reduced lunch status (socioeconomic)
- Allow for future growth where possible (based upon Regional Planning Commission lot and permit data)
Taking these guidelines into consideration, the Zoning Project Team made the following recommendation to the School Board. (Click here to see the presentation)
CMCSS and RSP & Associates will host three public forums to gain feedback from the community regarding the rezoning recommendations. The community is invited to attend the following forums:
- Monday, January 17, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
- Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
- Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 5:30 pm (In-Person Meeting – Rossview High School)
A final zoning recommendation will be presented to the School Board on Feb. 8 for voting. District rezoning information can be found at cmcss.net/zoning.
