State College Area School District can expect enrollment to increase by about 2,000 students by the turn of the century.

At its January meeting last night, the school board received a report which studies the population changes and building use for the 1990s.

The report compiled by the Citizens Advisory Committee on Demographics and Building Utilization projects student enrollment to increase from about 5,900 this year to 6,770 by the 1994-95 school year and about 8,000 by the 1999-2000 school year.

To meet the increase, the committee, led by Elliot Abrams, Vice President of Accu-Weather Inc. and Patton Township Supervisor, identified the need for 23 more elementary classrooms by the 1994-95 school year, and about 45 classrooms by the 1999-2000 school year.

In its report the committee recommended three possible solutions to meet the growing enrollment:

-- Increase class size and decrease special programs currently offered to avoid new construction.

-- Expand various elementary schools during the first five years to ease the growing elementary grades. A new elementary school would be constructed during the second five years of the decade as well as new construction or expansion of the junior high school.

-- Expand existing elementary schools and construct a middle school during the first five years. During the second five years, minor additions would be made to selected elementary schools and the existing junior high school would become a middle school.

The committee recommended further investigation of the third option to establish middle schools for grades six through eight as it would offer several advantages.

"A middle school offers two kinds of advantages," said Anne Petersen, Dean of the College of Health and Human Development.

"A middle school would provide a transition for students from elementary schools to secondary schools as well as allowing for specific program changes," she said.

The report attributes the increase in enrollment to an increase in children born in the Centre Region that are remaining here. In addition, it is expected the recently approved University research park will generate between 1,600 and 2,000 jobs and about 250 new students, Abrams said.

The board also heard a proposal to adjust its policy on tax exonerations for taxpayers who are considered low income and elderly. Dennis Younkin, district Business Administrator, presented to the board a revised schedule to provide exonerations based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines received from the National School Lunch Program.