In one of California's fastest-growing counties, the Western Placer Unified School District is racing to keep up with a surge in students and the school year hasn't even started yet.

Just six days before the first day of class, district leaders are preparing to welcome a student population that's grown by 129% over the last 25 years. In 2000, Western Placer had about 3,500 students. Today, enrollment is closer to 8,000 and space is running out.

"Everywhere you turn in Lincoln, there is a new house going up and with new homes come new students," Superintendent Kerry Callahan said. "We're nearing capacity in our existing schools."

The growth is fueled by the county's housing boom, but adding classrooms isn't easy. California schools typically rely on a mix of state and local dollars, often through voter-approved bonds rather than a steady funding stream.

In the meantime, district leaders are making adjustments. That includes reviewing attendance boundaries to better balance class sizes and hiring more staff. This year alone, 55 new teachers are joining the district.

"In an era of staffing shortages, it's been difficult," Callahan said. "We're grateful we're a destination district and people want to work here, so we've been able to hire teachers to offset the growth."

Looking ahead, the district has big plans: three new elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school are expected to be built in the next five to 10 years.

"We are working really hard to ensure that our existing facilities are adequate for our students to thrive in and that we're securing the funds necessary to build for the growth in the future," Callahan said.

District officials said they are also considering future bond measures to help pay for the projects and ensure they can keep up with the community's rapid expansion.