City of Methuen Master Plan

Methuen Master Plan 2007
Population Projections
The percentage of school –aged persons (less than 18 years old) living in Methuen (24.7%) is slightly
higher than that of the state overall (23.6%) 22 . According to MISER population projections, school
aged children in Methuen are expected to continue to grow in numbers. The majority of the increase is
projected to be in the younger years that may result in facility needs system-wide. The only age cohort
which is not expected to increase in the near future is the high school aged students, however, when the
younger students come through the system, they will place additional pressure on the high school as
well.
Table 41: School-Aged Population
School Age
Group
1980
Census
1990
Census
2000
Census
2010
Projection
2020
Projection
0-4 years old 2,188 2,759 2,749 2,873 3,055
5-9 years old 2,496 2,646 3,137 2,872 3,053
10–15 yrs. 3,026 2,573 3,192 3,181 3,325
15-19 yrs. 3,296 2,534 2,718 3,232 2,960
TOTAL 11,006 10,512 11,796 12,158 12,393
Source: MISER Population Projections for Massachusetts Cities and Towns
New Schools and Free Full Day Kindergarten Attracting Non-Methuen Residents
The “new schools” phenomenon frequently attracts families, that is, when new school buildings are
built, this sends a message that the City is paying attention to education and many families either move
to that municipality, have their children stay with “aunts and uncles” during the week in order to attend
the new schools, or break the rules and cross over from surrounding cities and towns. “Crossing over”
is reportedly occurring in Methuen and is probably due to a number of factors including the new
schools, the fact that there is free full day kindergarten in Methuen (and not in all of the surrounding
communities) and that in Lawrence they are accommodating large enrollments by having children attend
school either in the morning or in the afternoon, a schedule that is difficult for working parents. The
School Department is tracking non-Methuen residents attending the school on a weekly basis and
turning away such students on a daily basis. For example, during September and October of 2006,
thirty-six families were questioned, and twelve of these turned out to be non-residents and had to
withdraw from the school system. 23
Class Size
Over the past few years the Methuen Public Schools have made a concerted effort to adhere to
principles of best practice and reduce class size especially in the early primary grades. Increased
enrollments have already begun to adversely affect the effort to reach the goal of 20-+ children per
classroom. (the low-20s for grades K-4 and upper 20s in grades 5-8).
Ethnic Diversity
As is evident in the table below, the number of students for whom English is not the primary language
spoken at home and who have limited proficiency in English has been steadily increasing. In addition to
Spanish there seems to be an increase in other languages spoken at the students’ home including
22 From Massachusetts Department of Public Health, MassCHIP, Kids Count Profile (incorporates Census
2000 figures and later population estimates)
23 from School Superintendent’s Office.
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