Fresno is getting a brand new school — but which students will attend Garza High?

For the first time in nearly a century, residents in northwest Fresno’s Central Unified School District are preparing to open a new high school.

The launch next year of Justin Garza High School marks a dramatic change to the student enrollment landscape for Central High, one of the city’s oldest and largest high schools. In August, Garza High will have its first ninth- and 10th-graders.

Garza High’s first senior class will graduate in the spring of 2024.

Central Unified school trustees will set the course of enrollment for the district’s now two high schools, formally adopting boundaries determining which high school students will attend based on where they live.

The board is scheduled to adopt attendance boundaries during its Oct. 27 meeting.

Community members have the chance to ask questions and submit input about the boundaries under consideration. The last town hall meeting to discuss high school boundaries is on Oct. 14 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. People can tune in on the district’s YouTube channel.

Middle and elementary school boundaries will not change.

“You want to try and get students as close to their school as you possibly can,” said Steve McClain, Central Unified’s chief business officer. “You can shorten bus times, shorten distances. It helps the parents and the students to feel more connected to their schools.”

The district is designing the boundaries, in part, to make sure students are spread out between the district’s three high school campuses, McClain told The Bee.

Central High School has about 4,200 students spread between two campuses — Central High East, which opened in 1996, and Central High West, the original campus that opened in 1922. Garza becomes the district’s second high school.

Central High West will stay district-wide, McClain said, because it’s in a rural area that isn’t as populated.

“The long-term goal would be for the West (campus) to have a boundary, I just don’t think we’re there yet,” he said.

To establish attendance boundaries, school officials consider a range of factors, including area population, socioeconomic demographics, free and reduced lunch data, community input, growth and development.

“We’re trying to create some equities among the schools,” McClain said.

Safety is also a factor to consider, he said, and the district wants to minimize students having to walk across busy intersections, like Shaw Avenue.

Central trustees are considering four proposed boundary maps, which outline which Central elementary and middle schools will feed into Garza High and Central High East.

Students at some elementary and middle schools could be split up between the different high schools under some of the boundary scenarios under consideration. So attending an elementary or middle school wouldn’t guarantee all those students will go to the same high school.

Will students have to switch schools?

Students who are currently in grades 9-11 at Central High West could remain there if they choose.

If a student wants to attend Garza High or Central High East but winds up living outside the desired school boundary, families could request a transfer. Families could begin submitting transfer requests in April next year. Transfer approvals would be based on space availability, grades, attendance and disciplinary records.

Students who wind up within the Garza High boundaries will submit a transfer request if they want to remain at Central High East. Students who wish to continue attending school at the west campus would not need to request transfers.

Setting boundaries is a way to control the enrollment among the three campuses, McClain said. He said funding for schools is often tied to enrollment, so if one school has fewer students, it gets less money.

Depending on how the board finalizes high school boundaries, Garza High could eventually enroll between 1,806 and 2,379 students, leaving Central High East between 1,768 and 2,341 students.

McClain said the district would “probably” see many requests from families who will want their students to attend the brand new Garza High.

“Anytime you get a new school, you’re going to get that magnet effect,” he said.

However, varsity student-athletes who wind up living within Garza High’s boundaries would likely want to remain at Central High. When Garza High opens next year, only ninth- and 10th-graders will attend. Garza High won’t implement varsity sports for three years.

How will population growth affect boundaries?

The addition of Garza High is expected to reduce class sizes and make room for the anticipated growth at Central High campuses in northwest Fresno.

Nearly 2,500 homes are expected to be built in the district over the next six years, which is estimated to increase high school enrollment by 360 students, McClain said during a recent community town hall meeting.

The district also plans to build a new elementary school, but that proposed school hinges on whether the Measure D school bond passes on Election Day next month.

“You keep that into consideration,” he said. “You don’t want to change boundaries every year. You want to keep some continuity and consistency. You want to be looking three or five years out into the future to consider what’s going to be happening and which way the growth is headed.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 5:00 AM.