VIDEO: Some Coeur d'Alene schools facing safety, learning concerns due to overcrowding

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — The Coeur d'Alene School District says three of its schools are overflowing and it expects the problem to get even worse, impacting more schools in the coming years.

Woodland Middle School is the most overcrowded school in the Coeur d’Alene School District. Its principal says they are about a year away from needing to take drastic measures to create space for students.

Scott Traverse’s classroom hasn’t grown, but the student population has.

“The kids are the same now as they were 20 years ago, there’s just more of them,” Traverse said.

Traverse has taught at Woodland since it opened in 1998. This is the eighth year in a row that one of his students found a photo of their parents on his wall.

Traverse said the school was full when it opened. But now, Woodland is overflowing. He said there have been times when every desk was full and kids had to sit on counters during class.

According to the Coeur d’Alene School District, Woodland Middle School’s current enrollment is 21% over its max capacity. Lake City and Coeur d’Alene High Schools round out the district’s top three most overcrowded schools.

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This story is part of KREM 2's Boomtown Week. Watch stories about the impacts of growth in Spokane and North Idaho all week long through Friday, Nov. 12.

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