Castlerock Housing Project Will Add Hundreds of Students to Santee Schools

The addition of an estimated 1,000 residents in Santee from the recently approved Castlerock housing development will bring hundreds of new students into local schools and will increase the number of teachers needed, according to the Santee School District (SSD) and Grossmont Unified School District (GUHSD).

SSD estimates that Castlerock will generate about 195 new K-8 students for the district. Enrollment projections indicate the district has sufficient classroom space to accommodate the new students in existing classrooms.

GUHSD Deputy Superintendent of Business Services Scott Patterson told Patch that students generated from this new housing development would likely attend and would be welcomed to a GUHSD school in Santee, most notably West Hills. He wrote that the number of students could be up to 100 by the time all units are built and occupied, which would necessitate the hiring of additional teaching staff and an assessment of the impact on district facilities.  

Patterson added that during construction the district has requested appropriate noise, dust, and traffic mitigation measures be put in place.  He also added that the planned traffic signal at the entrance to West Hills should be constructed before any units become occupied.

The Santee City Council will consider whether to make the new community part of Santee at the Oct. 9 meeting.