More mobile classrooms and new schools aim to help Horry County’s overcrowding

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - Hallways inside Horry County Schools are feeling much smaller as the district continues to deal with overcrowding.

Right now, there are currently 21 schools considered in the “red zone,” meaning nearly half the district’s schools are at or over capacity.

The district welcomed 47,000 students back to school this year, with around 660 new students.

District spokesperson Lisa Bourcier said some areas are growing faster than others, but the entire district is trying to make room.

“Just like anybody else, we’re seeing some of the growing pains with the additional growth that we’re seeing in the community,” Bourcier said. “We know that over 20% of our students live in the Carolina Forest area, but that’s not the only area we are experiencing high enrollment numbers. It’s pretty much across the board.”

To help with overcrowding, the district is currently designing two new schools in the Carolina Forest area.

Bourcier said those designs should be finished early next year, allowing the district to finalize the projects’ budget and start building.

In the meantime, the district spent more than $3 million on 22 new modular classrooms.

Bourcier said both the new schools and modular classrooms will work hand in hand to help the district catch up with the county’s growth.

“The new schools will help us hopefully relinquish a lot of our modular classrooms and be able to put our kids back into a school building,” Bourcier said. “What’s great about the modular classrooms is we can move and relocate them to other areas, so they will certainly be used in other locations as well.”

Bourcier said overcrowding affects everything from teacher assignments, transportation and mental health services.

She said that is why it’s important to register your kids early.

Bourcier said the number of new students is expected to increase, and they will have a better idea of how many more students there are about a month and a half into the school year.

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