West Roseville schools race to keep up with rapid population growth

For families in West Roseville, construction has become part of everyday life.

Meenakshi Kalra moved her family from Woodland to West Roseville in 2022. Since then, she's watched new homes, roads and schools take shape around her.

"Since the day I stepped into Roseville, from the ground, now I'm seeing the groundbreaking, and at the blink of my eye buildings are structured on that ground," Kalra said.

Her daughter, Sanvi, is now part of that growth.

This school year, Sanvi started at Winding Creek Elementary, a new school built to serve families moving into the growing community.

"It's amazing! Everyone's been looking forward to this," Sanvi said.

The new school also means a shorter commute for Sanvi, something she's already appreciating.

"Oh, I didn't have patience that time, this time I have patience," she said.

Sanvi's experience is one small example of a much bigger shift happening in schools across the region.

While California saw a decline in TK-12 enrollment last school year, some local districts went the other way.

Elk Grove Unified School District added 1,097 students, Vacaville Unified School District added 557, and Roseville City School District added 377 students between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

In Roseville, that growth is already creating a very real challenge: making sure there's enough space for current and future students.

"A vast majority of my day right now is thinking and planning around how do we ensure that we have enough space for every current and future student in Roseville City School District," Superintendent Derk Garcia said.

Winding Creek Elementary just opened and is expected to reach about 650 students within two years.

The district is already looking ahead.

"At full build out of our school district will have just over 16,000 students," Garcia said.

Preparing for that growth includes plans for a new TK-8 school in the Placer One neighborhood.

But staying ahead of the growth comes with a big price tag. The project is expected to cost more than $120 million.

"The cost of construction has outpaced the escalators in the mitigation agreements," Garcia said.

The district is also considering other ways to create space, including boundary changes and year-round school options.

For Sanvi, though, the changing landscape is a welcome sight, one she's watched take shape over the years.

"When I moved in it was just little, now look at it, it's a huge area," she said.