Mansfield High Tygers School Size Question

westa-k-ron1

Well-known member
Can someone explain to me how or why Mansfield High School has shrunk almost in half in the last 10-15 years? Their High School is smaller than many communities that have a much smaller population. They went from solidly D1 to D3 rather quickly and while I know the population of the city has decreased it has not decreased at nearly the same rate of the High School.
 
 
Inner city population is shrinking fast and Madison, Ontario, and Lexington are right there. Probably a few kids going to Shelby and Ashland too.
 
Can someone explain to me how or why Mansfield High School has shrunk almost in half in the last 10-15 years? Their High School is smaller than many communities that have a much smaller population. They went from solidly D1 to D3 rather quickly and while I know the population of the city has decreased it has not decreased at nearly the same rate of the High School.

School district boundaries, i.e. Mansfield City School District, do not correspond to the City of Mansfield boundaries. There are areas of Mansfield that are located in adjacent local school districts. Hence, the different population numbers compared to school enrollment numbers.
 
School district boundaries, i.e. Mansfield City School District, do not correspond to the City of Mansfield boundaries. There are areas of Mansfield that are located in adjacent local school districts. Hence, the different population numbers compared to school enrollment numbers.

It has struck me as odd these last few years that Mansfield's population has stayed a good 10,000 people above that of Lima's population yet Lima Senior's enrollment is a good 200 kids above that of Mansfield Senior.

As the OP pointed out it does seem odd that Mansfield Senior's enrollment has fallen so much in such a short time period. It's one thing for a rust belt town of a similar size to see their enrollment drop progressively over several years / decades but Mansfield's it seems dropped quickly.
 
It has struck me as odd these last few years that Mansfield's population has stayed a good 10,000 people above that of Lima's population yet Lima Senior's enrollment is a good 200 kids above that of Mansfield Senior.

As the OP pointed out it does seem odd that Mansfield Senior's enrollment has fallen so much in such a short time period. It's one thing for a rust belt town of a similar size to see their enrollment drop progressively over several years / decades but Mansfield's it seems dropped quickly.

FYI. Mansfield is 31 square miles. Lima is approximately 14 square miles. A major difference.
 
FYI. Mansfield is 31 square miles. Lima is approximately 14 square miles. A major difference.

Agreed. But does geographic size really factor into population loss? Does that just mean that Mansfield's population is more spread out?
 
Mansfield and Lima are two interesting stories of how a district went from two high schools to one. Back in the early 1950's Lima had two high schools, Lima South and Lima Central. The two combined at the start of the 1955-56 school year to form Lima Senior. The very first football game Lima Senior ever played, game one in 1955, was against our Little Giants.

Mansfield High was the lone school in that city until 1963 when Malabar High came into existence due to growing enrollment. Malabar closed in 1989. I believe they were the Falcons iirc.

If I got any of that wrong, feel free to correct me.
 
Agreed. But does geographic size really factor into population loss? Does that just mean that Mansfield's population is more spread out?

It could. Remember, we are only talking about school districts’ drop in enrollment.
Yes, the City’s (Mansfield) population would reflect all the areas (school districts) that are within Mansfield’s corporation limits.
 
Mansfield and Lima are two interesting stories of how a district went from two high schools to one. Back in the early 1950's Lima had two high schools, Lima South and Lima Central. The two combined at the start of the 1955-56 school year to form Lima Senior. The very first football game Lima Senior ever played, game one in 1955, was against our Little Giants.

Mansfield High was the lone school in that city until 1963 when Malabar High came into existence due to growing enrollment. Malabar closed in 1989. I believe they were the Falcons iirc.

If I got any of that wrong, feel free to correct me.
Yes, Falcons. Prior to 89-90 school, which was my Senior Year at Ross, they merged and with a deal. Senior went from Red and White to Malabar's colors of Brown and Orange.
 
Here's something yp keep in mind. After about a decade in D2 (basketball), Madison is back in D1. Ontario is now D2 after a long time in D3. Lexington is holding steady as a big D2.

So while city itself isn't necessarily hemorrhaging people, the outside districts are maintaining or getting bigger. So either kids are families are leaving Mansfield City schools, or the area of town losing people is the Mansfield district. I agree it's been a huge drop quick, but when you figure the rises in Madison and Ontario especially, it makes sense.
 
Lima has 5. Believe Mansfield has 4.

Hell even little old (comparatively) Defiance has 3 districts in the city limits.

I wasn’t counting Massillon City SD. When this discussion started, I was talking about local school districts, minus the City school districts. If you do, the City of Massillon, has 5.
 
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Lima: Lima Senior, Bath, Elida, Shawnee, Perry
Mansfield: Mansfield, Madison, Ontario, Lexington.
Defiance: Defiance, Tinora, Ayersville

Massillon: Massillon City, Perry, Tuslaw, Fairless, Jackson.
 
I wasn’t counting Massillon City SD. If you do, the City of Massillon, has 5.

Jackson, Perry, Tuslaw I know. What's the other?

Not doubting you. Just curious. This type of thing interests me for some reason lol.


Also just found map evidence that the Ontario/Mansfield district line is also the Ontario/Mansfield city line, so technically I guess Ontario isn't IN Mansfield per say. But a piece of Mansfield city DOES get into Crestview territory.
 
Jackson, Perry, Tuslaw I know. What's the other?

Not doubting you. Just curious. This type of thing interests me for some reason lol.


Also just found map evidence that the Ontario/Mansfield district line is also the Ontario/Mansfield city line, so technically I guess Ontario isn't IN Mansfield per say. But a piece of Mansfield city DOES get into Crestview territory.

Go to post #23.
 
Jackson, Perry, Tuslaw I know. What's the other?

Not doubting you. Just curious. This type of thing interests me for some reason lol.


Also just found map evidence that the Ontario/Mansfield district line is also the Ontario/Mansfield city line, so technically I guess Ontario isn't IN Mansfield per say. But a piece of Mansfield city DOES get into Crestview territory.
What's weird is OHSAA calls it Ashland Crestview.
 
It has struck me as odd these last few years that Mansfield's population has stayed a good 10,000 people above that of Lima's population yet Lima Senior's enrollment is a good 200 kids above that of Mansfield Senior.

As the OP pointed out it does seem odd that Mansfield Senior's enrollment has fallen so much in such a short time period. It's one thing for a rust belt town of a similar size to see their enrollment drop progressively over several years / decades but Mansfield's it seems dropped quickly.

This is what raised my eyebrows and Lima seems to be a apples to apples comparison. I certainly looked at towns like Massillon, Alliance and Barberton but they are parts of larger more populous areas and not the historic center of those areas either.
 
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