The Abridged version:
- Winding Creek Elementary School in Roseville opened its doors Thursday for its inaugural school year.
- The school opening comes as Roseville experiences rapid population growth and the city’s school districts work to keep up with the influx.
- Roseville City School District, which covers transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, is anticipating another new campus in the coming years.
Principal Susanna Ramirez greeted families walking along a red carpet, under a green and purple balloon arch and through the front gates of Winding Creek Elementary.
“Happy first day of school!” she said.
Thursday marked not only the start of a new school year, but the very first day of classes, recess, lunch and other activities at Winding Creek.
The new school hosts about 470 students, from transitional kindergarten through fifth grade.
And it’s a welcome addition, according to Roseville officials, parents and students.
“As we continue to grow, there continues to be a need to build new schools,” said Roseville City School District Superintendent Derk Garcia.
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Roseville is among the fastest growing cities in California, according to state population data. Both districts in the city are expected to grow enrollment over the next 10 years, opposite the trend at many districts in the region and state, which are contending with shrinking student bodies.
Garcia said his team is already working on plans for another new school.
A good problem to have
The growth, while at times difficult to accommodate for, is good for the district, Garcia said.
“We feel very lucky,” he said. “(We’re) not on the opposite side where we’re having to talk about declining enrollment and potentially consolidating schools or laying off staff.”
Residents have been flocking to the west and northwest ends of Roseville, where additional development is ongoing.
Roseville’s elementary and high school districts each approved adjusted attendance boundaries, redirecting certain neighborhoods to different schools to accommodate the many new families.
The Winding Creek school, located in the middle of a master-planned community by the same name, has room for 650 students. Garcia said the district expects to fill the school by 2028.
Its opening relieves some of the pressure on other schools across Roseville City School District.
The district’s next new school will also be near west Roseville, not far from Winding Creek. Garcia said if everything goes according to plan, the transitional kindergarten through eighth grade school will open its doors in 2031.
“But that’s all dependent upon the economy,” he said. “And unfortunately, I have zero control over the economy.”
New site needed
A sea of families waded through the front lawn of their new school Thursday morning, with many parents stopping to snap photos. Staff in purple T-shirts dotted the entrance way, smiling, waving and pointing students to their classroom for the year.
The campus features a two-story building of classrooms, flanked by playgrounds, basketball courts, a library and administration offices. Winding Creek is the district’s first multi-story school.
Monicqua Busch has lived in Roseville for 32 years, raised her two now-adult children there and has seen firsthand the city’s expansion. Another school, she said, was “very needed.”
“It’s just amazing,” Busch said. “I love all the detail that they put into it … I’m in awe of the city of Roseville.”
Fourth grader Kunal Lal said he’s excited to be among the first students at Winding Creek.
He said he’s most looking forward to having fun making new friends.
