The Howard County Board of Education will initiate the redistricting process for several Columbia and Ellicott City area schools outside the 90-110% capacity range for the 2026-2027 school year.

Board members voted Wednesday to include Longfellow Elementary School in the school system’s process of “balancing enrollment,” a phrase officials say they’re using to better represent the reasons behind shifting students to different schools.

In February, the Board of Education mistakenly left off Longfellow Elementary from a list of schools where the boundary review process would begin. On Wednesday they corrected that error.

Other affected schools include: Bryant Woods, Centennial Lane, Running Brook, Swansfield and Clemens Crossing elementary schools; Wilde Lake, Harper’s Choice, and Burleigh Manor middle schools; and Wilde Lake and Centennial high schools.

“When you balance student enrollment even in limited capacity, such as this year’s process, it’s not easy for those students, staff or families that are involved or impacted by decisions,” Superintendent Bill Barnes said during a March 27 board meeting. “It is acknowledged that making adjustments to school attendance areas is an unwelcome process, but so is overcrowded schools an unwelcome scenario.”

Bryant Woods Elementary School, which was redistricted for the 2020-2021 school year, and Centennial Lane Elementary School are projected to exceed 110% capacity in the next 10 years, Timothy Rogers, manager of school planning for the Howard County Public School System said at a Feb. 13 board meeting.

While the two schools will be over capacity in the 10-year projection, several neighboring elementary schools will be under. Longfellow Elementary is projected to be at 80%, Swansfield Elementary at 74% and Running Brook Elementary at 92%, Rogers said.

Bryant Woods in Western Columbia is situated amongst the growing Columbia Town Center. The school is projected to be at 137% in 10 years, Rogers said, while Centennial Lane is expected to reach 113% of its capacity.

“So it’s never a crystal ball. We don’t know for sure how many students will arrive in the new units being built around the Columbia Town Center, but we’re more comfortable now than we were a few years ago with the expectations,” Rogers said.

After finalizing a contract with a consultant, school system staff will host opportunities for community engagement and test different scenarios through the spring months, Rogers said.

Information sessions with the school system’s Office of School Planning will be held on April 15 at Wilde Lake Middle School, April 24 at Burleigh Manor Middle School and April 28 at Swansfield Elementary School, according to the HCPSS website. The sessions will not share any boundary scenarios or official plans, but are meant to foster early engagement with the community, allowing potentially affected families to ask questions.

A boundary review report is expected in June, and a survey will be open from June to July, according to the HCPSS website. The superintendent will make his recommendation in September and the community can provide written feedback or testify at Board of Education public hearings. The board will also host work sessions, but the public may not comment during those sessions. A final vote on new attendance areas would be cast by the board in November to be implemented for the 2026 to 2027 school year.

Barnes assured the community that the redistricting process will be transparent and input will be welcomed during the March 27 meeting. As different areas of the county grow, balancing enrollment allows the school system to prepare for future development and alleviate overcrowding, Barnes said, aligning with the county’s growth management process.

“Properly utilized schools also opens opportunity for additional development in our county, and we’re in a county that’s constantly trying to keep pace with the housing demands of our citizens,” Barnes said.

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