DIXFIELD — Data collected from three public forums in Regional School Unit 10 indicate residents favor moving some grades and closing some buildings while maintaining regional identities.

The forums, which were attended by hundreds of residents, were prompted by declining enrollment in the Western Foothills School District and rising costs to maintain a high number of buildings that were underutilized.

RSU 10 is comprised of 12 towns in three regions: Rumford, Mexico, Byron, Roxbury and Hanover in the Mountain Valley region; Dixfield, Peru, Canton, and Carthage in the Dirigo region; and Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner in the Nezinscot region.

The forums presented three options on building uses, with the most interest in the first two. They are:

Option 1: Close Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico and move seventh- and eighth-graders to Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, which would need to be renovated. Move seventh- and eighth-graders from Dirigo Middle School in Dixfield to Dirigo High School in Dixfield.

Close Rumford Elementary School and send pre-kindergarten through sixth grades to Meroby Elementary School in Mexico, which would need to be renovated. Close the Pennacook Learning Center and use Dirigo Middle School for Central Office staff.

This option would promote regional identity, keep students in their region and close the most buildings of any of the options.

Option 2: Move seventh- and eighth-graders from Mountain Valley Middle School to Mountain Valley High School. Move seventh- and eighth-graders from Dirigo Middle School to Dirigo High School. Close Rumford Elementary School and move pre-kindergarten to third grades to Meroby Elementary School and grades four to six to Mountain Valley Middle School. Close the Pennacook Learning Center and move students to Dirigo Middle School, along with the Central Office.

Promoters of this option said the elementary schools would remain relatively small, and the regions would be separate.

Option 3: Have grades nine to 12 from Dirigo and Mountain Valley high schools at Mountain Valley High School; grades six to eight from Dirigo and Mountain Valley middle schools at Dirigo High School.

The Nezinscot region, which has grades prekindergarten to six at Hartford-Sumner Elementary School and grades seven to 12 at Buckfield Junior Senior High School, would remain the same.

Superintendent Craig King said the Buildings and Grounds Committee will work with the data this summer and bring it to the board.

Another public forum will be held in the fall to get input on the proposals. No changes are expected for at least a year.