With a maximum of 1,950 students on campus, Gunn is nearly bursting at the seams with 1,900 students currently enrolled at the school. The increasing student population to Palo Alto's high schools has forced the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) to start looking for solutions to the over-crowded campuses. "It squeezes the learning facility," senior Student Body President Max Keeler said. Principal Noreen Likins agreed. "It's not the same learning experience," she said. Possible plans include expanding Gunn and Palo Alto High School campuses or building a specialty school. Alternative or virtual programs may also be offered.

Due to Palo Alto's growing population, more students will be attending its schools. With new houses being built and more people moving into the city, the student body at both high schools has been growing at a steady rate for years. "They're anticipating quite a number of students will enroll in Palo Alto's high schools in the next five years," Likins said.

The expanding student population's effects can be seen on campus. Classrooms have had to spill out of the math and science buildings in Gunn. Seating in Spangenberg is nearing its capacity.

Many erroneously attribute this growth to increasingly large freshman classes. However, this is not the case. The 2010 freshman class at Gunn consisted of 509 students, while there are currently 470 freshmen enrolled in the class of 2011. There is a consistent growth in all classes due to an increase in the number of transfer students. "There is a big growth in other grade levels," Likins said. 52 new students enrolled at Gunn this year, excluding freshmen.

The growth of the student body has led to the School Board's creation of the High School Task Force, a group made up of administrators and student representatives dedicated to finding a solution to the dilemma. The Task Force gave out surveys earlier this year to students and guardians in order to get input about the proposed solutions to the problem. "That survey was to help with enforcing the community," Keeler said.

One solution proposes expanding the high school facilities to accommodate 2,200 students each. It would cost about $11.6 million. Likins said this plan can be implemented fairly easily and may be the best way to go, money-wise. "You can accommodate more students easily," Likins said. "We are a relatively small school for California and it might be the most cost effective too in the long run." Other solutions include opening a smaller, specialty school that could cost up to $20 million.

An original solution that had been proposed was the idea of converting Cubberley Community Center to a third high school. However, the task force rejected the idea due to cost issues. Opening a third high school would have cost an estimated $103.3 million and programs would have been limited due to the decrease of students. "Dr. Skelly feels that it's too big of a job for the High School Task Force," Likins said. "The financial side of it is too complicated."

Likins said the main point to consider is how the changes would affect the schools in general. "What matters is how the school is run," Likins said. "It's the structure that matters."