Lower Merion School District Enrollments & the Penn Alexander Catchment Property Bubble

(ARDMORE) - Despite major renovations in recent years, LMSD officials indicate that enrollment at Lower Merion's two high schools is projected to exceed capacity by 2019, if not sooner. The prevailing option to handle the overflow is to develop and repurpose existing space in Lower Merion High School's old "A" building.

With LM's capacity increasing, students who graduate from Welsh Valley Middle School - and who have typically been funnelled to Harriton High School - will get the option to choose Lower Merion High School in future years. It is expected enough students will opt for LM and its enhanced capacity, so that no brand new construction will be required at either school.


Ultimately, the lives of relatively few are bound to be upended by this relatively featherweight redistricting. Both high schools are excellent and, if anything, the commutes of some students may even be slightly shortened by the opportunity to choose Ardmore over Rosemont. But the situation bears watching.

The expected surge in high-school population is already being felt at the  elementary and middle school levels, and the School Board has already approved classroom expansion projects at Gladwyne, Penn Valley and Welsh Valley. Hopefully, affordable modifications of existing school facilities - not acrimonious redistricting - will continue to be a viable solution for enrollment expansion.  As a parent, property owner and Realtor, confidence in the quality and stability of our Lower Merion public schools is one of several core reasons to continue believing in our community's prosperity.
 
But just a few miles away in University City, infatuation with high-quality, affordable public education is exceeding sustainablility and has created a mini real estate bubble that may be about to pop. The Penn Alexander School - which serves public school grades K-8 in a Catchment Zone running (E-W) from 40th to 47th Streets and (N-S) from Sansom to (roughly) Baltimore Ave - opened in 2001 and receives substantial financial and institutional support from its prestigious neighbor, the University of Pennsylvania. 

In its decade-plus existence, the school has emerged as possibly the city's finest for its age group and has caused a clamor for home ownership within the boundaries of its catchment zone. It's estimated that $100,000 - $150,000 in value has been added to homes whose addresses qualify for attendance in the school.
 
Paying a premium for a home with a guaranteed spot in a great public school is one thing, but how much is it worth to NOT be guaranteed a slot, but only participation in a lottery to get a slot in the school? This is the question home-buyers and Realtors had to ask when school officials determined, in early 2013, that enrollment in Penn Alexander School was no longer a given right of property ownership within the catchment boundaries.

On one hand, the lottery system and statistics ostensibly ensure that nearly every child applying for admission will be accepted, but what of the family that spends an extra $125,000 and then draws the short stick and is left out? Very few kids/families will be affected, but the uncertainty is a harsh reality for those who paid, or are considering paying a premium to buy into the Penn Alexander School catchment. In Lower Merion, our home values are also buttressed by the desirability of the quality of public education available to residents.

We are fortunate to be in a more stable and sustainable position than our University City neighbors. But the time could come when too much love for our schools could actually start to erode, rather than enhance Lower Merion's charmed relationship between home values and quality education. 

View Lower Merion School District Info Page on Enrollment Plans

- Ted Gross/ Merion Station
Prudential Fox & Roach REALTORS
www.R5Realty.com

Visit R5Realty News & Notes site for regular reporting on the state of quality of life and residential real estate in Lower Merion, Haverford and Radnor townships.