Manteca Unified enrollment continues to grow.

And to make sure the district can educate students in the best possible way, the district will be examining all options for the 2026-2027 school year including year-round education when they meet Thursday.

The enrollment planning meeting takes place from 3 to 4:45 p.m. at the RESC Building at the district complex, 2701 Louise Ave.

State law requires school districts to post notice by Nov. 1 if they will be even discussing the possibility of staggering student attendance across multiple tracks through the school year.

The district has discussed year round options in previous years when the board met to plan for enrollment in an upcoming school year.

The district has not exercised such an option, however since, the 1980s and then only at select schools.

MUSD has been experiencing a surge in enrollment especially in Manteca south of the 120 Bypass and in Lathrop.

While there is adequate capacity currently for high schools, elementary schools could pose a challenge.

The district is in the early stages of its efforts to build two new elementary schools south of the 120 Bypass as well as one in Lathrop.

The timeline for those schools to be completed may not happen fast enough to avoid creating capacity issues at various grade levels.

The district has other options should the schools in Manteca not be completed in time including shifting attendance boundaries or busing students to campuses north of the Bypass or east of Highway 120.

In doing so, it would create a ripple effect impacting schools across the district.

Year round at select schools could be seen as a temporary move to bridge the classroom shortage until the new schools are completed and, in doing so, may create the least disruptions.

Again, the district will discuss how to handle student enrollment and is including year round to make sure all options are weighed.

The district’s projected enrollment is tied into the housing market.

The City of Manteca for the last two years has been averaging 1,200 new homes being built annually.

The housing growth pace — whether it continues, slows down or accelerate — impacts the ability of the district to house new students in neighborhood schools.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com