As the 2019-2020 school year kicks off, it’s hard not to notice the abundance of students on campus. 

The seemingly crowded campus is not alleged, in fact the incoming 2023 student body marks  the biggest class SJHHS has ever had. This influx of students is causing a lot of concern to students who question how their education will be impacted.

Following in the footsteps of the 2022 class, which was previously the largest student class in SJHHS history, the class of 2023’s 777 students outnumbers the class of 2022’s 759. Compared to the class of 2020, which has 569 students, the class of 2023 represents how SJHHS continues to become overcrowded. 

While a greater number of students in a classroom can potentially help educational growth as there are more opportunities for conversation with a wider variety of opinions, it can also defect it, making one on one time with teachers a scarce resource.

“When you have forty students in a class and have around five classes of forty there’s not enough time to have writing conferences at lunch,” said Bak-Boychuk, an English teacher.

The surging student population at SJHHS is having an effect on more than just class sizes.

The problem of drop off and pick up only gets worse now that the number of students coming on campus each day has increased. Students and parents will end up having to work together to build their schedules around the traffic entering school in the morning, as well as waiting in a long line after school. This can make some students’ after school commitments difficult to manage.

SJHHS is definitely experiencing growing pains, but that does not mean that the school is not growing for the better.  

The rising numbers of students who attend, especially those who apply for school of choice, can now be part of the great education and high school life that San Juan Hills has to offer. 

Evidently, students, teachers and administrators have cultivated a more appealing learning environment that is acknowledged by many who live in the Capistrano Unified School District. 

For a school that has only been open since 2007, more students could be just what SJHHS needs to continue to grow its programs and further prove that it one of the better public institutions of secondary education in the state.