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Comprehensive Plan Public School Facilities Element Public School System As required by the state, the School District must implement a financially feasible Five - Year Capital Facilities Plan that provides for school capacity improvements to accommodate projected student growth. Those improvements which are budgeted and programmed for construction within the first three years of the Plan are considered committed projects for concurrency purposes. Within the current Five -Year Capital Facilities Plan, the capacity providing capital improvements consist of three new elementary schools and minor capacity additions at Sebastian River Middle School and Sebastian River High School. The School District has also identified the need for a future high school in the south county area. As structured, the public school system consists of students, personnel, schools, and administrative facilities. Residential development impacts the students and school facilities because increases in new student enrollment can place demands on school capacity and cause overcrowding of facilities. Therefore, an accurate inventory of both current and projected school capacity and student enrollment is crucial for school planning. Enrollment and Capacity The Indian River County School District provides the public school facilities necessary to educate its students. Recently enacted state -mandated changes, such as early childhood education and smaller teacher/pupil ratios at each school, significantly impact the capacity needs of the School District. Currently, the School District operates 21 public schools, from pre -kindergarten to 12th grade. In school year 2004/05, approximately 64% of the County's school-age children attended public schools operated by the School District. The remaining 36% attended private schools or charter schools, or were no longer attending school. Students no longer attending school are typically associated with drop-out students over the age of 16. The School District operates fourteen elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and two alternative education centers serving more than 16,000 students. Figure 12.2 shows the geographic locations of public schools operated by the School District. In Table 12.7, a breakdown of the enrollment and school capacity for School Year 2006/07 is provided. The figures in Table 12.7 exclude charter schools which are not operated by the School District. School capacity figures are determined by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) and are based on the Florida Inventory of School Houses (FISH) capacity analysis. As the basis for determining permanent FISH capacity at individual schools, the School District utilizes FDOE's FISH capacity data and district owned Type 4 portable classrooms. Community Development Department Indian River County 14