New Apartments Aren't Bringing Many New Students

Over the past 10 years, Melrose has seen a building boom that has been greater than any in recent decades, with four new multi-family rental complexes adding 809 units to our housing stock: 

  • Windsor at Oak Grove (400 units)
  • 99 Essex Street (15 units)
  • Jack Flats (212 units)
  • The Washingtons (182 units)

During that same time period, we have seen the number of students in our schools increase, and some people have asked whether the two are related. I asked our Planning Department to look into it, and they studied school enrollment data provided by the School Department . The answer is simple: The new apartment complexes are not driving the increase. Only 82 students, or 2.1% of the total enrollment in the Melrose Public Schools live in these four complexes.

This makes sense because relatively few school-age children live in apartment buildings. If we look at all the apartment complexes in Melrose, including older ones, the total number of students is 114, or 2.9% of total enrollment.

On the revenue side, these four new developments increased revenues to the city by over $1.8 million dollars. This more than compensates for those 82 students. By comparison, the tax bill for the average single-family home in Melrose is $6,273 in Fiscal 2019, which is about half the amount the Melrose Public Schools spends per pupil ($11,753 in FY 2017, the most recent year for which figures are available).

There are many benefits reaped by the community from the new transit-oriented housing (also called smart growth) and mixed-use developments created over the last decade. This includes the revitalization these developments have brought to our City, the new residents they have attracted to our shopping districts, and the new growth that has helped us thrive within the constraints of Proposition 2½, all without placing an added burden on our schools.