Ever since the decision to go coed at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, Riordan has become one of the most rapidly growing schools in the Bay Area. In areas like athletics, academics, and general enrollment, Riordan has soared above its competitors and grown quite swiftly.
However, such rapid growth didn’t come without challenges. Before Riordan decided to go coed, the total enrollment was just 660 students. While this number was on the lower side, it was manageable.
Gradually, due to our increasing student population, all of our students can no longer fit in the theatre, which used to be possible three years ago. In addition, our gym can at least fit all of our students; however, not comfortably.
This dynamic led to the reorganization of many school events such as rallies, house games, dances, and more.
Riordan’s increased enrollment has also led to some significant changes to our schedule. The bell schedule, which students have mixed opinions on, requires upperclassmen and underclassmen to arrive and exit school at different times.
This decision, likely a result of crowding during pickup and drop off, has become an inconvenience for many clubs and sports. Some students have grown to like the new schedule, but others have a negative attitude towards it.
As Riordan sees more and more applicants each year, it is increasingly difficult to earn a seat here. However, making Riordan a more competitive school seems like the simplest way to solve this problem.
New decisions are being made to improve our school each year, including the student park, more classes, and new faculty, but it’s worth considering that Riordan accept fewer students for the upcoming underclassmen classes.
With this simple change, we could go back to our old schedule without all the traffic. We could have more class space and smaller class sizes, and enough room to comfortably accommodate all students.
