Growth quickly filling brand-new school in Security-Widefield; trend expected to continue

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Growth and progress are often sought by communities, but some residents in Security-Widefleld fear that they have too much of a good thing.

This week, after complaints surfaced about a proposed apartment complex next to an existing neighborhood, residents expressed concern about the explosion of houses and families in Lorson Ranch, a growing subdivision on the towns' southeast side along Fontaine Boulevard.

An example of that growth's impact is Grand Mountain School, which opened in 2019 for students from grades kindergarten through eight.

"When we initially opened up that building, we first thought there were going to be 600 students, and it was going to be a soft opening," said Kevin Duren, in his first year as superintendent of School District 3. "By the time it opened, there were already houses that had grown around the building, and we opened with 900 students. That's a lot faster than we expected. The capacity is around 1,200."

Duren said that the district already has built an eight-classroom trailer on the campus to handle the influx of students.

"We've spoken with developers and they expect this growth trend to continue for another five years," he said. "We're probably going to need another elementary school by then. We told parents about the situation in a community conversation in person and online a few weeks ago."

A new school, Duren said, would require voters to approve a bond issue to generate tax revenue to finance the project.

The growth and rising school enrollment -- the district has a total of 9,000 students -- come as the district continues to seek candidates to fill open staff positions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, other district schools outside of the growth area aren't experiencing the same growing pains.

"We've even been transporting some kids at heavier-attended schools to lesser-attended schools to balance the numbers out," Duren said.

Some of the elementary schools could eventually welcome students from Lorson Ranch if a new elementary school isn't built there before Grand Mountain reaches capacity.