"There used to be a general belief that people in condos didn't necessarily have school-age children, that they were older or younger professionals" he said. "But a lot of people are raising families in condos because that's what they can afford."
However, Jeff Long, deputy director of the county planning office, said he doesn't think increased demand for classroom space will be coming from apartments and condominiums. He said planners and developers across the country have found that young professionals or young married couples typically move into these kinds of dwellings but will move soon after having their first child.
Still, people like Ertel say these families are likely to remain in Towson.
"There's an energy," he said. "Towson is a great place to be right now, other than the school problem."
Parents and community activists point to additional factors that contribute to crowding. The state-required switch from half-day to full-day kindergarten effectively doubled the amount of space needed, they say, and the strain of rising gasoline, utility and food costs has limited the ability of some parents to pay for private schools.
County officials have proposed to alleviate the overcrowding by building an addition to the Ridge Ruxton School in Towson, which serves special-education students.
But some area residents say the plan is not a long-term solution. They say the area needs another elementary school.
Cathi Forbes, chairwoman of Towson Families United, a grass-roots group formed this year to push for a solution to the crowding, said the numbers show that the areas could fill a new elementary school today and as many as three in the coming years.
"These numbers we're looking at are astronomical," she said. "But I think it's going to look worse than that."
Forbes, who launched the Web site towsonfamiliesunited.com to keep residents informed about the crowding issue, has complained that County Executive James T. Smith Jr. has been too heavy-handed in opposing a plan to build a school.
Smith, who has described the county's economic picture as tight, has instead budgeted for additions to schools as a less costly option.
School officials, for their part, have said that because they are dependent on the county for most of the system's funding - and the county executive can subtract items from the system's budget - they can make proposals but have little control of what gets funded.
