With every passing year, Mount View Middle School becomes more and more crowded. To combat this problem, a new policy has been passed to integrate the 8th grades from Mount View to the Ridge in the 2025-2026 academic year. With this addition, MRHS’s student population is projected to grow from 1,400 to 1,700 students, with certain classes reaching up to nearly 40 students at once.
Many students at the Ridge are nervous about this upcoming change. Upon hearing of the increased number of students, Mustangs started to wonder how this change will affect the school environment. They believe that the extra batch of students will overcrowd the halls and make navigation between classes difficult.
“The halls are already hard to traverse as is. If they add 8th graders to the mix I’m not sure I’ll be able to get to class on time anymore,” noted senior Sami Janakiraman.
Another concern comes from how 8th graders will be distributed within classes. At the end of the current school year, all upcoming 8th graders who will be joining MRHS will take a placement exam for each subject to determine their appropriate classes. This method means students will be distributed evenly throughout every class, from Algebra I to Calculus BC and everything in between, leaving no class unaffected. Some believe that having 8th graders in their classrooms will be a jarring change, and will negatively impact the learning environment.
“I don’t think 8th graders are ready for a high school class. Even if they are smart enough to be learning the material, the gap in how an 8th grader and an upperclassman act is too large, and will change the classroom dynamic for the worse,” explained junior Spencer Grams.
With the immense class size increase, teachers will be forced to alter how they teach to accommodate the new setting. With the new system, teachers won’t be able to give each student the same amount of attention they currently can, leading to less individualized help for each student.
“Currently, I’m able to meet with individual students if they need assistance with any of their work; however, this upcoming change might restrict my ability to do so in a timely manner. Not to mention that in this new setting, 8th graders will need more help than the average student,” voiced English teacher Mr. Sullivan.
This new system has its advantages for students willing to take advantage of the opportunity at an early age. With an extra year in high school, rising 8th grade students are able to take more classes overall, letting them explore different avenues of education they would not have been able to otherwise.
“I wish I had this opportunity when I was in 8th grade. If I did, I would have been able to take more math classes and been able to take all the upper level classes,” remarked senior Aaron Rodgers.
The addition of 8th graders to the Ridge will likely shake up the school dynamic with various positives and negatives for existing and incoming students. But with time, a new norm will develop, changing the landscape as Mustangs know it forever.