sixcat 2,939 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Ask Carroll County how isolated they are given the school size! They consolidated in 1969 when enrollment figures weren't as germane to district, conference and state play. Given the current landscape, Carroll finds itself on an island with travel times that rival Franklin County and Patrick Henry, Roanoke. Latest figures indicate Carroll has more than 1200 students, placing them squarely in the center of 4A with virtually no shot at moving down to 3A baring a mass exodus. Consolidation isn't as cut and dry as some would like to think or others would have you believe. Carroll suffers a lack of athletic support simply based on a lack of natural rivals. Every bordering community, county or city, including those in North Carolina, have a significantly lower student enrollment. The nearest schools to Carroll (1200) are Galax (381), Grayson (589), Fort Chiswell (457), Floyd County (623), Radford (442), George Wythe (451), Patrick County (789) and North Carolina schools Mt. Airy (555), East Surry (597), Surry Central (762) and North Surry (893). Isolation has hurt athletics at Franklin and Patrick Henry. It has devastated Carroll! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Im assuming that going forward Tazewell and Graham will continue to shrink while Richlands remains fairly stable. In 10 years the numbers may be 475, 525 and 700. That would make Tazewell East (G-dawgs?) a 3A which is feasible. I don't know if that's a reasonable assumption, though. Graham has actually gained 40 kids or so since I graduated 12 years ago. In that same time, Tazewell has dropped by 75 and Richlands has fallen by almost 100. Numerically speaking, Graham's the most stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barondawg77 115 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 I don't know if that's a reasonable assumption, though. Graham has actually gained 40 kids or so since I graduated 12 years ago. In that same time, Tazewell has dropped by 75 and Richlands has fallen by almost 100. Numerically speaking, Graham's the most stable. Tazewell's numbers were down even lower before Pocahontas closed. Then we got a majority of those kids, but now I think they are mostly going to Graham. That would explain most of those numbers I would think. Just my assumption anyway lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barondawg77 115 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 I would also think that if they ever combined Graham and Tazewell, they would give the kids in baptist valley, dry fork, and some of thompson valley the choice to go to Richlands. That would help even those numbers a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,742 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Take the Pocy kids out of Graham and Tazewell and the numbers are what... 550 and 450(assuming 150 kids were attending Pocy)? That would put the enrollments much in line with the numbers I posted earlier. Roughly where is the dividing line for Tazewell/Richlands now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barondawg77 115 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Bandy/cliffield area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Tazewell's numbers were down even lower before Pocahontas closed. Then we got a majority of those kids, but now I think they are mostly going to Graham. That would explain most of those numbers I would think. Just my assumption anyway lol And it's a perfectly reasonable factor! I am a bit embarrassed to have made that oversight. Easily 2/3 of the 6-12 Pocy kids went to Tazewell when Pocahontas closed, and that was something the Tazewell County powers that be didn't anticipate. It's probably flipped to 2/3 Graham in the years since, which is where it'll probably stay, especially considering the kids at the upper end of the Valley. Pocy's enrollment in its final year was 124 in Grades 9-12, IIRC. Council is smaller than that now, but at the time, it was the smallest public high school in Virginia. Without the Pocy kids, Graham would probably be around -40 , which is in lin e with Tazewell's and Richlands's losses. barondawg77 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beamerball 566 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Numbers wise Dickenson Co didnt really have a choice, not enough students to justify 2 schools and the funds were meant to pay for 1 school. Lee should have went with 2 schools. TW wanted no part of anything, so they kept their school as is. While many here didn't like it, given the rate of consolidation around here, Lee was just one step ahead. As the years pass and schools close down and consolidate, other counties are starting to look like what Lee has. I think that bodes well for them in the end, especially with travel. redtiger and EH31 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,742 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Pike County is one step ahead of all of swva. They have been consolidating over there since what, the late 80s? olewave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olewave 44 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Buchanan County has roughly 890 high school students 9-12 spread out over 4 high schools. There are very few counties this side of Lynchburg that have 4 schools in their county! The ones that do are pushing anywhere from 2500 to over 3000 students in 9-12. Politics in Buchanan County continue to hold our students back. Every year, one of the county teams folds a sport in the spring due to lack of numbers, this to the blind eyes of the ones who can do something about it. Instead they have fought over a elementary school of 70 students, trying to re-open it! SMH….. No SMDH!!!! barondawg77, Ryan4VT and redtiger 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1inStripes 933 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 Driving through eastern KY definitely shows off some nice facilities for their school systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.01bb665814ffc257795fe158cb2045c7.png.8a531ac878a82772b21014d7a6167582.png){kind=logo}
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.