Have you noticed the extraordinarily cramped hallways? Has it ever taken you an entire passing period to go up one flight of stairs? Yes, the school has always been “overused,” but this year the crowded conditions have been intensified by an unusually large freshmen class. Although the demand for Lowell is quite high, the capacity of the school is not expanding, and the size of this year’s freshmen class is untenable.

For years most classes have hovered in the range of 620-670 students: this year’s sophomore class is 663 students, the junior class is 621 students and the senior class is 645, according to assistant principal of support services Michael Yi. The freshmen class, however, is significantly larger: 701, according to the headcount done on Aug. 31.

Six hundred students per class is already plenty for an overcrowded school to handle; the school has neither the room nor the resources for a class of 700-plus students. In fact, to manage the extra bodies, the school had to provide three additional classes that are aimed predominately at freshmen (two P.E. 1 and one Spanish 1), see "Class of '15 one of largest classes."

The large student body is understandable because Lowell is a desirable school, and therefore we should attempt to accommodate as many applicants as possible. However, over-crowding can have a negative impact on the school’s learning environment. Even with the additional classes, the school’s average class size is about 31-32 students, while P.E. has an average of 36.8. “Students get less individual attention,” ninth-grade English teacher Tim Lamarre said. “There is too much work to grade, which results in an inevitable reduction of assignments and a more economical number of comments on papers.”

The state of California has recognized the value of smaller classes. In 1996 the state passed the Morgan-Hart Class Size Reduction Act, which enabled schools to reduce class sizes in selected grade levels, such as first grade and ninth grade, and specific middle and high school curriculum areas: English and Math. “Average class size for the school year at each participating school can be no more than 20:1 per certificated teacher and no more than 22 pupils enrolled in any participating class,” according to the California Department of Education. Unfortunately the school’s class sizes in ninth-grade English have risen dramatically in the last three years — by 50 percent.

Also, with more students in the hallways, physical over-crowding is a huge issue. Compounded by the fact that passing periods this year are five minutes instead of eight, congested hallways are problematic for students who have a long walk from one class to the next.

The main building, on a campus that did not yet have the science building but already housed “temporary” bungalows, was opened in 1962-63 with an original capacity of 1,800 students. Now the campus overflows with almost 50 percent more than that. Even with the addition of the science building, in 2003, with 10 classrooms which could handle an additional 300 students, the school should only have about 2,100 students.

Rooms also have maximum capacities. The library can accommodate only 90 students, the cafeteria’s capacity is 248 and the auditorium’s maximum is 911. These numbers are small compared to the number of students at the school. For example, 911 students is just a little over a third of the student body, as a result the enriching assemblies in the auditorium — Shakespeare plays and author visits — can not benefit our entire community.

The school has no way of guaranteeing how many students will commit to the first day of school, the district handles admission. “Every year district EPC sends out about 750-800 plus admission letters, including this year,” Yi said, explaining that attrition is expected to lower the number of acceptances — and incoming students. He added, “unlike private schools, public schools like Lowell do not require a deposit for admitted students. Students and parents do not have to inform us of their decision whether they are really going to attend Lowell or not.” According to Yi, the school learned of the large size of the freshmen class only after conducting the three-day count.

Instead of “overbooking” students like an airline, and then hoping that some families will make other plans, the school should accept a consistent class size, such as 600 freshmen. For the overflow of students, the school should have a waiting list from which they can accept students to fill the spots left by people who declined their offer.

Lowell’s aged campus is already suffering from handling more students it was built to hold, hence the district should assign more students to alternate high schools and should not allow the number of incoming students to be a gamble. We are losing the bet.

A version of this article first appeared in the Sept. 9, 2011 print edition of The Lowell.