Central Unified School District is considering two options for rebalancing enrollments at the district’s three high schools and is seeking community input.

Right now, Central High is a high school of choice but not popular enough. Its enrollment is less than half of the enrollment at the district’s biggest high school, Central East.

District officials are considering one proposal to increase the number of career pathways at Central High as well as adding competitive athletics and performing arts but maintain it as a school of choice. The school’s current career pathways include agriculture, nursing, and criminology.

The second proposal also would add competitive athletics and performing arts and redraw boundary lines for the three schools. Redrawing boundary lines can be unpopular in communities where generations of families have attended the same school.

Central High and Central East are considered a single high school now for athletics, and there has long been a reluctance to divide the student body between the two schools because of the long history of championships, especially for the football team.

Survey, Meetings for Community Input

The district is conducting an online survey asking community members to indicate which of the two options they prefer, or to suggest a third option. The survey is available in English, Spanish, and Punjabi. The deadline to respond to the survey is Sunday.

In addition, the district’s Facilities Planning Committee is conducting neighborhood meetings this week for discussions about how the community would like to balance the enrollments.

As of the 2022-23 school year, Central East had 2,061 students, Justin Garza had 1,539 in grades 9-11, and Central had 772. The 12th grade was added this fall at Justin Garza, the district’s newest high school.

The committee, composed of parents, teachers, administrators, School Board members, students, and community members, will make a recommendation to the School Board.

The meeting schedule is:

• Tuesday, 9 a.m., Biola-Pershing Elementary
• Tuesday, 6 p.m., El Capitan Middle School
• Wednesday, 9 a.m., Rio Vista Middle School
• Thursday, 6 p.m., Glacier Point Middle School