While some parts of the Valley can't build schools fast enough, others are considering closing some down.
Paradise Valley Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Troy Bales says there isn't a single factor leading to a drop in enrollment.
"Times have definitely changed," said Dr. Bales in the PVBeat podcast. "We have seen over the last 20-25 years school choice as an important factor. So, we are no longer the only educational provider in town."
Though he says there are other reasons the numbers are going down.
"We are a district that's, you know, aging. We have some new growth, above the (Loop) 101 here in our district. But for the most part, our aging community south of the (Loop) 101 makes our enrollment challenges difficult sometimes," he said.
The district is now considering options to close certain schools.
Enrollment, though, varies for each school in the district. For example, while Copper Canyon Elementary School will see a drop in enrollment of about 200 students within the next 10 years, Desert Trails Elementary will gain more than 300 students in that time.
The reality is, the Arizona landscape is changing.
Paradise Valley doesn't have much room to grow, while places like Queen Creek do.
"Districts that have the issue that Paradise Valley is having it's simply because students age out and not enough families are moving into those locations with school-age kids," said Matt Riffey.
Riffey, a board member with Queen Creek Unified School District says they can't get schools up fast enough.
"What we're going through is hyper-growth,” Riffey told ABC15.
He says there is plenty of land to build there, and people are moving in.
The most recent data we have has shown, within the last five years, PVUSD has had an 11% decrease in enrollment, while Queen Creek Unified has seen an 84% increase.
"And in the last few years, we've built a school every year," added Riffey.
ABC15 talked to people in Paradise Valley who say they are split on the district's potential future move.
While some say this would increase funding in much-needed areas, others don't want to lose their sense of community.
PVUSD's School Closure and Boundary Review Committee is in its initial stages and will be looking at potential closures and merging some attendance boundaries.
The committee will likely not give a recommendation to the board until December, at the earliest.
