Out-of-boundary students put on notice

School district will verify address of students at Boca High.

BOCA RATON — The Palm Beach County School District is verifying the address of every student enrolled at Boca Raton High School to “weed out” those who aren’t zoned for the crowded school, Superintendent Donald Fennoy said.

When school resumes in three weeks, Boca High expects about 760 more students than it was built to hold, according to district data. With 3,688 students, it will have the highest enrollment of all county public schools.

At the request of city officials — who say they heard anecdotal reports of students from other cities and Broward County just south of Boca Raton enrolling in Boca Raton High — the district is scouring its student roster, Fennoy told the Boca Raton City Council on Tuesday evening.

“Let me just say this, people are really creative,” Fennoy said.

The task, one the district has undertaken at various schools throughout the years, is never easy.

Boundary jumping, as it’s called, often involves families adopting a false address within a desired school’s boundaries to enroll. District staff culls the rolls of certain schools every other year; most recently such a focus was trained on Calusa Elementary and, to the north, Sunset Palms.

The district’s boundary expert, Jason Link, said he expects such a review to weed out 1 percent to 5 percent of the school’s students, or about 35 to 200. Already 60 names have been forwarded to administrators for verification.

Most of the county’s high

schools offer choice programs that allow students to enroll from outside the boundaries. Boca Raton High offers only one: Navy Junior ROTC. Thirteen other county high schools also offer ROTC program.

City officials have said that they suspect parents have targeted Boca Raton High because of its “A” rating.

“You guys are a victim of your own success,” Fennoy said.

All high schools in Boca and its suburbs — Boca Raton, Spanish River, Olym- pic Heights and West Boca high schools — are A-rated, according to a recent report.

Boca Raton has long strug- gled with crowding at many of its schools. Nearly all of them enroll more students than they’re meant to hold, according to the School District. The city has lobbied for solutions and even donated land near Don Estridge HighTech Middle School on Mili- tary Trail and Spanish River Boulevard for a new elementary school. The county is awaiting state approval.