WPTV NEWS: Holly Meyer Lucas Discusses the Impact of School Zoning in Real Estate Decisions

As reported by Jillian Idle.

JUPITER, Fla. — Palm Beach County School District parents say overcrowding at area schools is a growing concern.

A newly released capacity watch list shows dozens of elementary, middle and high schools are projected to have too many students and not enough space.

“There’s not enough buses and I have to pick her up because they can’t transport all the students,” said parent Sherry Lail.

School buses at Jupiter High School aren’t the only thing being impacted, other students complain of long lunch lines and overcrowded hallways. However, this isn’t the first time the “A” rated school has had these concerns.

“It’s a very good school and there’s reason people are trying to get in here,” said parent Carol Throop.

An area real estate agent, Holly Meyer Lucas says a lot of her clients are picking homes based on the school zoning.

“The families that we are seeing relocate into this area are informed. They know about the schools. They know they are A-rated, and so one of the biggest questions is what does the future look like for northern Palm Beach County schools,” said Meyer Lucas.

Unfortunately, there’s not much information available from the school district on how they plan to address this. Their website shows some of the options include limiting choice programs to in-zone students only, re-registering all of its students including proof-of-residence and potentially creating attendance zone changes.

Ultimately, whatever they decide to do, many hope they will choose to do so sooner rather than later.

“As a Realtor, it puts us in a tough spot because we don’t have a great answer. You know we’ve heard a lot of things about expansion, this is happening, that’s happening, but nothing concrete that we can give homeowners,” said Meyer Lucas.

Click here for more information about capacity numbers.