From having 80-person block classes to being scheduled for three Spanish classes, students at Skyline are experiencing first-hand the course scheduling difficulties that come with an expanding student population and additional course offerings.
Skyline’s student body is hovering at around 2,200 students for the 2025-2026 school year. After returning to school in late August, many students noticed significant differences from the previous year.
One sophomore at Skyline highlighted their block class. “I believe there were more than 70 students. My block class was very crowded, and many students were transferred out of the class.”
This transfer of students was part of a process Skyline principal Keith Hennig called “course balancing” in his September 4 email to students. Despite counselors’ efforts to adjust schedules — such as ensuring no student had three Spanish classes — another issue persisted: classes remained too full.
Mr. Hennig stated in his email that, as part of course balancing, Skyline had hired additional staff “to help reduce crowded classes and make sure everyone has the best possible learning experience.”
As a result of the process, he warned that the school would change students’ schedules, potentially altering what courses they would take.
“Perhaps the school could also add more wings or portables in the school,” the Skyline sophomore suggested. Eastlake, another Sammamish high school, has already adopted this approach, currently constructing new classrooms and facilities to accommodate its 2,500 students.
The Issaquah School District, also recognizing this issue, has allocated funds to construct a new high school in Providence Heights, Issaquah. New High School 1602, as the school is temporarily named, is set to accommodate 700 students by the fall of 2027.
The district’s superintendent, Heather Yow-Tick, hopes that, along with helping “to ease overcrowding and providing experiences for young people to thrive,” the new campus will also serve as a space “where people can use the fields and use the space to hold community events.”
For more information:
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