Whitefish Schools hold meeting regarding expansion needs

Whitefish School District is holding a community engagement meeting on Oct. 10 to discuss the growth and expansion needs of Whitefish High School and its activities complex.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.

The district in the fall of 2021 adopted a long range facility plan. Recommendations from this plan identified significant growth and critical needs of the high school as the top priority. With the high school expansion planning process now in its beginning phase, a planning committee has been formed to identify needs, set priorities, and eventually develop designs and concepts for a potential bond.

Over the past decade, the district has expanded from 1,567 students to 1,900 students with 2% annual growth expected. The 600-student capacity at WHS is now nearly met with 593 students currently enrolled.

The district expects enrollment will continue to move beyond the designed capacity next school year. Due to limited space, the high school is already utilizing six classrooms full-time outside of the high school building.

In addition, over the past decade, participation in sports has grown by 25% with more than 500 students currently participating annually. Many teams only have limited or no access to on-site practices and games with limited seating opportunities for spectators.

“These are excellent challenges to have in a thriving community,” said Superintendent Dave Means. “Input from a broad array of the Whitefish community is needed as we closely investigate the needs of the high school and activities complex. We really value input from the entire community as we look to the future together.”

For more detailed information on the growth in Whitefish Schools, visit the “WHS Expansion Needs” section of the school district website at whitefishschools.org.