LEONARDTOWN, Md. – St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) has initiated a Facility Utilization and School Boundary Study, known as the Redistricting Initiative, to shape the future of education across the county’s 26 schools. Announced on September 12, 2025, this comprehensive effort aims to optimize school facilities, address enrollment trends, and ensure equitable resource allocation for the district’s 17,000 students. With community engagement at its core, the initiative invites input from families, educators, and residents to guide decisions that will impact Southern Maryland’s educational landscape for years to come.
The study, led by CannonDesign, a national firm specializing in educational planning, will evaluate facility conditions, analyze demographic and enrollment data, and develop boundary adjustments to balance school capacities. SMCPS serves a diverse student population across Leonardtown, Lexington Park, and rural areas like Morganza, with schools ranging from historic buildings like Leonardtown Elementary to modern facilities like Chopticon High School. The district’s 2025 enrollment report shows a 3% increase in student numbers over the past five years, with some schools, such as Great Mills High School, nearing capacity at 1,600 students.
To foster transparency, SMCPS has launched a dedicated website at https://www.smcps.org/redistricting, offering access to data, analysis, event details, and surveys. The site includes a frequently asked questions section and a portal for submitting feedback via redistricting@smcps.org. Community members can review enrollment trends, such as the projected growth in southern St. Mary’s County due to residential development near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, and provide input on proposed boundary changes.
Two community forums are scheduled to gather public input. The first, focused on establishing guiding principles, will take place on September 25, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center, 24005 Point Lookout Road, Leonardtown. The second forum, presenting possible boundary options, will occur over three nights—November 12 at George Washington Carver Elementary in Lexington Park, November 13 at Chopticon High School in Morganza, and November 14 at the Forrest Center. Each session runs from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with registration required via the Events & Surveys tab on the redistricting website. Registration for the November forums opens September 19, 2025. Due to their interactive format, the forums will not be livestreamed, but presentation materials will be posted online afterward.
Two community surveys, accessible through the website’s Events & Surveys tab, will follow each forum to collect additional feedback. These surveys aim to capture perspectives on priorities like maintaining neighborhood schools, minimizing student travel times, and addressing overcrowding. In 2023, a similar SMCPS survey on facility upgrades drew responses from over 2,000 residents, with 65% emphasizing the need for equitable access to modern classrooms.
CannonDesign’s role includes assessing the physical condition of schools, some of which, like Hollywood Elementary, face aging infrastructure challenges. The firm will also analyze demographic shifts, such as the 10% population growth in Lexington Park since 2020, driven by military and contractor families. Their expertise, applied in over 1,000 educational projects nationwide, ensures a data-driven approach tailored to St. Mary’s County’s unique needs, including its rural and coastal communities.
The redistricting process addresses long-standing challenges in St. Mary’s County, where school boundaries have not been comprehensively redrawn since 2005. That effort followed the opening of Evergreen Elementary, which alleviated overcrowding in southern schools. Today, with uneven enrollment—some schools operate at 60% capacity while others exceed 95%—the initiative seeks to balance student distribution and optimize facilities like the district’s three high schools, which serve 4,800 students combined.
Community engagement is critical, as boundary changes may affect school assignments, bus routes, and access to programs like the STEM Academy at Spring Ridge Middle School. SMCPS has pledged to prioritize transparency, with regular updates posted online and opportunities for feedback through the dedicated email. The district’s 2025-2026 budget allocates $1.2 million for the study, covering CannonDesign’s services and community outreach efforts.
Residents are encouraged to participate in the forums and surveys to shape outcomes that reflect local values. For additional information, contact redistricting@smcps.org. The study’s findings, expected in spring 2026, will inform a final boundary plan for the 2026-2027 school year, reinforcing SMCPS’s commitment to student success and community collaboration.
