Our American school system typically follows a basic pattern: numerous elementary schools, a good number of junior highs, only a handful of high schools.
But what if we switched the system? Big elementary schools, numerous small high schools? What if our school system started at the trunk of the tree and branched out instead of starting at the leaves and working toward the trunk?
And what if sports followed the same organizational pattern? Let’s put the education arguments aside for a second and focus instead on the sports. In Wyoming, under this system the school sports in the state would be controlled not by the biggest cities, but by the biggest schools, in part because of how elementary schools are organized.
In Wyoming, under this system the school sports in the state would be controlled not by the biggest cities, but by the biggest schools, in part because of how elementary schools are organized statewide.
Several cities in Wyoming decided to divide their elementary schools by grade level rather than geography. Jackson, for example, has its youngest students attending Jackson Elementary and its older students attending Colter Elementary. Lander, Buffalo, Torrington and Wheatland do basically the same thing.
And at least in the case of Lander, Jackson, Buffalo and Torrington, that decision has them as among the biggest schools in the state in terms of K-3 enrollment. Actually, most of Wyoming’s biggest schools in K-3 terms are in towns we would currently call Class 3A. If we were to organize them and classify them by enrollment, as high schools are now, those communities dominate the top spots. In this scenario, these schools — rather than the Gillettes, Natronas, Kelly Walshes and so on — would be the biggest and baddest progams in the state.
Jackson/Colter is by far the largest at 762 K-3 students, but it’s Lander, Rawlins, Douglas, Buffalo, Torrington, Pinedale and Star Valley’s two schools taking up spots two through nine.
An elementary school from one of Wyoming’s big cities doesn’t show up until Cheyenne’s Saddle Ridge Elemetary slides into the No. 10 spot. And after that, another school from the trio of Cheyenne, Casper and Gillette doesn’t show up until school No. 16, Lakeview Elementary in Gillette.
In our scenario, the power of the large school has shifted. Completely.
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The next step is to organize the schools into classifications, just as the WHSAA does currently for 9-12 enrollment.
In classifying these schools, I tried to look for round numbers and somewhat natural breaks. I took the 12 largest schools to make a “Class 4A,” and it just so happened that 300 was the break point on that. The next 75 schools became “Class 3A” with a break at about 180 students. After that came “Class 2A,” another 43 with a break at about 100 students, and finally “Class 1A” and 33 schools rounded out the field.
But there were some challenges to this organization.
Most Wyoming towns use a K-5, K-6 or K-12 model for their schools. The cities that don’t put all of their K-3 students into one school or into a relatively equal distribution into numerous K-4/5/6 schools. Some of these have already been noted, but here are the toughest such scenarios:
- Riverton: Riverton kindergartners attend the same school (Aspen Early Learning Center) before being split into one of three elementary schools in the city that handle grades 1-3. They’re combined again in grades 4-5 at Rendezvous Elementary before moving on to Riverton Middle School.
- Douglas: Douglas has Douglas Primary (K-1), Douglas Intermediate (2-3) and Douglas Upper (4-5) schools.
- Torrington: Torrington students are split between Lincoln (K-2) and Trail (3-5) elementaries.
- Buffalo: Buffalo students are split between Meadowlark (K-2) and Cloud Peak (3-5) elementaries.
- Kemmerer/Diamondville: These students are split between Kemmerer (K-2) and Canyon (3-6) elementaries.
- Wheatland: Wheatland students are split between Libbey (K-2) and West (3-5) elementaries.
- Jackson: Jackson students are split between Jackson (K-2) and Colter (3-5) elementaries.
Wyoming has 163 schools fielding K-3 enrollments of at least 25 students (or, in the case of Clearmont, Glendo, Chugwater and Rock River, fielding enrollments in locations where high schools already exist). The enrollment totals of 34 more elementary schools with fewer than 25 students were added to the most geographically feasible elementary.
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In our “leaf-not-trunk” system, this is how classifications might break down, with K-3 enrollment as listed by the Wyoming Department of Education listed.
Class 4A
Jackson/Colter 762
Gannett Peak (Lander) 571 (with Jeffrey City (5))
Rawlins 561 (with Desert (Wamsutter) (14))
Douglas Primary/Intermediate 508 (with Dry Creek (9), Moss Agate (9), Shawnee (7), Walker Creek (5), White (8))
Afton 435
Thayne 379
Meadowlark/Cloud Peak (Buffalo) 373
Lincoln/Trail (Torrington) 350
Pinedale 342 (with Bondurant (5))
Saddle Ridge (Cheyenne) 331
Uinta Meadows (Evanston) 326
Westridge (Rock Springs) 305
Class 3A
Willow Creek (Riverton) 300 (with estimated 57 kindergarten)
Stagecoach (Rock Springs) 294
Mountain View 289 (with McKinnon (13))
Lakeview (Gillette) 285
Summit (Casper) 284
Dildine (Cheyenne) 278
Verda James (Casper) 278
Paradise Valley (Casper) 277
Sage (Rock Springs) 276
Ft. Caspar Academy (Casper) 269
Afflerbach (Cheyenne) 265
Truman (Green River) 264
Buffalo Ridge (Gillette) 256
Ashgrove (Riverton) 254 (with estimated 57 kindergarten)
Coffeen (Sheridan) 251
Hillcrest (Gillette) 251
Jackson (Riverton) 250 (with estimated 57 kindergarten)
Sunrise (Cheyenne) 247
Libbey/West (Wheatland) 246
Highland Park (Sheridan) 245
Pronghorn (Gillette) 245
Velma Linford (Laramie) 240 (with Harmony (12), Centennial (4), Valley View (5))
Sunflower (Gillette) 238
Oregon Trail (Casper) 235 (with Red Creek (6))
Urie 235
Prairie Wind (Cheyenne) 234
Hobbs (Cheyenne) 233
Northpark (Rock Springs) 233
Conestoga (Gillette) 231
Indian Paintbrush (Laramie) 231
Lovell 227
Crest Hill (Casper) 224
Glenn Livingston (Cody) 223 (with Valley (4), Wapiti (5))
Sagebrush (Sheridan) 223
Newcastle 222
Park (Casper) 220
Spring Creek (Laramie) 220
Moorcroft 218
North Evanston 218
Southridge (Casper) 218
Manor Heights (Casper) 215
Meadowlark (Sheridan) 215
Aspen (Evanston) 213
Cottonwood (Casper) 213
Sagewood (Casper) 212
Wyoming Indian 212
Anderson (Cheyenne) 211
Prairie Wind (Gillette) 211
Southside (Powell) 209
Eastside (Cody) 207
Westside (Powell) 207 (with Clark (10))
Sunset (Cody) 206
Arp (Cheyenne) 205
Baggs (Cheyenne) 204
Paintbrush (Gillette) 203
Desert View (Rock Springs) 201
Kemmerer/Canyon 199
Glenrock 197 (with Boxelder (5))
Rossman (Cheyenne) 197
Harrison (Green River) 196
Overland (Rock Springs) 195
Jackson (Green River) 194
Stocktrail (Gillette) 194
Wagonwheel (Gillette) 194
Lincoln (Casper) 191
Woodland Park (Sheridan) 191
Rozet 190
Freedom (Cheyenne) 189
Goins (Cheyenne) 186
Bain (Cheyenne) 185
Ralph Witters (Thermopolis) 185
Rocky Mountain (Cowley) 184
Arapahoe 182
Fort Washakie 182
Evansville 181
Class 2A
Lusk 178 (with Lance Creek (3))
Henderson (Cheyenne) 174
Pioneer Park (Cheyenne) 171
Slade (Laramie) 171
Tongue River 167 (with Slack (3))
Washington (Green River) 166 (with Granger (3))
Walnut (Rock Springs) 164
Beitel (Laramie) 162
Davis (Cheyenne) 162
Rawhide (Gillette) 161 (with Little Powder (16), Recluse (9))
Meadowlark (Gillette) 159
Pineview (Casper) 158
Big Horn 156 (with Story (13))
Lincoln (Rock Springs) 153
Willard (Casper) 153
Bar Nunn 150
Burns 150
Alta Vista (Cheyenne) 145
Jessup (Cheyenne) 139
Parkside (Powell) 139
Wilson 139
Buffalo Ridge (Cheyenne) 138
Cole (Cheyenne) 138
University Park (Casper) 138
Clark (Evanston) 135
Fairview/Lebhart (Cheyenne) 133 (Lebhart has only K-2, Fairview starts at 3)
Greybull 132
Shoshoni 129
Big Piney 127
Mills 126
East Side (Worland) 125
West Side (Worland) 123
South Side (Worland) 122
Grant (Casper) 121
UW Lab School (Laramie) 121
PODER Academy (Cheyenne) 118
Snowy Range Academy (Laramie) 117
Deming (Cheyenne) 116
Sundance 116
Mountain View (Casper) 111
Wind River 109 (with Crowheart (14))
Saratoga 105
Cottonwood (Wright) 104
Class 1A
Upton 92
Hebard (Cheyenne) 91
Guernsey-Sunrise 88
Lingle-Fort Laramie 86
Pine Bluffs 80
Poison Spider (Casper) 77 (with Powder River (4))
Little Snake River Valley 76
Laura Irwin (Basin) 75
Cokeville 75
Southeast 75 (with LaGrange (14))
Hanna 72 (with Elk Mountain (10), Medicine Bow (11))
Woods Learning Center (Casper) 71
Gilchrist (Cheyenne) 68 (with Clawson (5), Willadsen (2))
Burlington 62
Carpenter 58
Laramie Montessori 52
Farson-Eden 40
Dubois 39
Kelly 39 (with Moran (11))
Midwest 37
Ten Sleep 36
La Barge 35 (with Thoman Ranch (1))
Encampment 33
Kaycee 33
Albin 32
Meeteetse 32
Hulett 27
4-J (Gillette) 25
Alta 25
Clearmont 24 (with Arvada (10))
Chugwater 20
Glendo 18
Rock River 18 (with Notch Peak (1))
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Breaking down the schools into conferences proved to be a tougher challenge due to the odd number splits. Some classificiations did not end up with a good, round number for state qualifications, but they’re sound geographically….
Class 4A West
Jackson/Colter 762
Afton 435
Thayne 379
Pinedale 342 (with Bondurant (5))
Uinta Meadows (Evanston) 326
Westridge (Rock Springs) 305
Class 4A East
Gannett Peak (Lander) 571 (with Jeffrey City (5))
Rawlins 561 (with Desert (Wamsutter) (14))
Douglas 508 (with Dry Creek (9), Moss Agate (9), Shawnee (7), Walker Creek (5), White (8))
Meadowlark/Cloud Peak (Buffalo) 373
Lincoln/Trail (Torrington) 350
Saddle Ridge (Cheyenne) 331
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Class 3A Northwest (8)
Lovell 227
Glenn Livingston (Cody) 223 (with Valley (4), Wapiti (5))
Southside (Powell) 209
Eastside (Cody) 207
Westside (Powell) 207 (with Clark (10))
Sunset (Cody) 206
Ralph Witters (Thermopolis) 185
Rocky Mountain (Cowley) 184
Class 3A Central (9)
Willow Creek (Riverton) 300 (with estimated 57 K)
Paradise Valley (Casper) 277
Ft. Caspar Academy (Casper) 269
Ashgrove (Riverton) 254 (with estimated 57 K)
Jackson (Riverton) 250 (with estimated 57 K)
Oregon Trail (Casper) 235 (with Red Creek (6))
Wyoming Indian 212
Arapahoe 182
Fort Washakie 182
Class 3A Southwest (13)
Stagecoach (Rock Springs) 294
Mountain View 289 (with McKinnon (13))
Sage (Rock Springs) 276
Truman (Green River) 264
Urie 235
Northpark (Rock Springs) 233
North Evanston 218
Aspen (Evanston) 213
Desert View (Rock Springs) 201
Kemmerer/Canyon 199
Harrison (Green River) 196
Overland (Rock Springs) 195
Jackson (Green River) 194
Class 3A Powder River East (9)
Lakeview (Gillette) 285
Buffalo Ridge (Gillette) 256
Hillcrest (Gillette) 251
Sunflower (Gillette) 238
Conestoga (Gillette) 231
Newcastle 222
Moorcroft 218
Stocktrail (Gillette) 194
Rozet 190
Class 3A Powder River West (9)
Coffeen (Sheridan) 251
Highland Park (Sheridan) 245
Pronghorn (Gillette) 245
Sagebrush (Sheridan) 223
Meadowlark (Sheridan) 215
Prairie Wind (Gillette) 211
Paintbrush (Gillette) 203
Wagonwheel (Gillette) 194
Woodland Park (Sheridan) 191
Class 3A Casper (10)
Summit (Casper) 284
Verda James (Casper) 278
Manor Heights (Casper) 215
Crest Hill (Casper) 224
Park (Casper) 220
Southridge (Casper) 218
Cottonwood (Casper) 213
Sagewood (Casper) 212
Lincoln (Casper) 191
Evansville 181
Class 3A East Cheyenne (8)
Dildine (Cheyenne) 278
Sunrise (Cheyenne) 247
Libbey/West (Wheatland) 246
Anderson (Cheyenne) 211
Arp (Cheyenne) 205
Baggs (Cheyenne) 204
Glenrock 197 (with Boxelder (5))
Bain (Cheyenne) 185
Class 3A Vedauwoo (9)
Afflerbach (Cheyenne) 265
Velma Linford (Laramie) 240 (with Harmony (12), Centennial (4), Valley View (5))
Prairie Wind (Cheyenne) 234
Hobbs (Cheyenne) 233
Indian Paintbrush (Laramie) 231
Spring Creek (Laramie) 220
Rossman (Cheyenne) 197
Freedom (Cheyenne) 189
Goins (Cheyenne) 186
—
Class 2A Northwest (8)
Parkside (Powell) 139
Wilson 139
Greybull 132
Shoshoni 129
East Side (Worland) 125
West Side (Worland) 123
South Side (Worland) 122
Wind River 109 (with Crowheart (14))
Class 2A Northeast (7)
Tongue River 167 (with Slack (3))
Rawhide (Gillette) 161 (with Little Powder (16), Recluse (9))
Meadowlark (Gillette) 159
Pineview (Casper) 158
Big Horn 156 (with Story (13))
Sundance 116
Cottonwood (Wright) 104
Class 2A Southwest (6)
Washington (Green River) 166 (with Granger (3))
Walnut (Rock Springs) 164
Lincoln (Rock Springs) 153
Clark (Evanston) 135
Big Piney 127
Saratoga 105
Class 2A Casper/Central (7)
Lusk 178 (with Lance Creek (3))
Willard (Casper) 153
Bar Nunn 150
University Park (Casper) 138
Mills 126
Grant (Casper) 121
Mountain View (Casper) 111
Class 2A Cheyenne (7)
Henderson (Cheyenne) 174
Burns 150
Alta Vista (Cheyenne) 145
Buffalo Ridge (Cheyenne) 138
Cole (Cheyenne) 138
Fairview/Lebhart (Cheyenne) 133 (Lebhart has only K-2, Fairview starts at 3…)
PODER Academy (Cheyenne) 118
Class 2A Vedauwoo (8)
Pioneer Park (Cheyenne) 171
Slade (Laramie) 171
Beitel (Laramie) 162
Davis (Cheyenne) 162
Jessup (Cheyenne) 139
UW Lab School (Laramie) 121
Snowy Range Academy (Laramie) 117
Deming (Cheyenne) 116
—
Class 1A Northeast (8)
Upton 92
Poison Spider (Casper) 77 (with Powder River (4))
Woods Learning Center (Casper) 71
Midwest 37
Kaycee 33
Hulett 27
4-J (Gillette) 25
Clearmont 24 (with Arvada (10))
Class 1A Southeast (10)
Hebard (Cheyenne) 91
Guernsey-Sunrise 88
Lingle-Fort Laramie 86
Pine Bluffs 80
Southeast 75 (with LaGrange (14))
Gilchrist (Cheyenne) 68 (with Clawson (5), Willadsen (2))
Carpenter 58
Albin 32
Chugwater 20
Glendo 18
Class 1A Southwest (8)
Little Snake River Valley 76
Cokeville 75
Hanna 72 (with Elk Mountain (10), Medicine Bow (11))
Laramie Montessori 52
Farson-Eden 40
La Barge 35 (with Thoman Ranch (1))
Encampment 33
Rock River 18 (with Notch Peak (1))
Class 1A Northwest (7)
Laura Irwin (Basin) 75
Burlington 62
Dubois 39
Kelly 39 (with Moran (11))
Ten Sleep 36
Meeteetse 32
Alta 25
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We know what 9-12 sports in Wyoming looks like — for now. The Wyoming High School Activities Association is considering some big changes to that system this month. Regardless of how those decisions come down, sometimes looking at a problem from a fantasy perspective — like the WESAA instead of the WHSAA — might give us insights into the systems we actually do have.
I don’t know about you, but a 3A state championship showdown between Stagecoach and Buffalo Ridge sounds pretty fun. …
–patrick