“It’s been a trip I’ve been looking forward to since I was probably in third grade,” Students like eighth grader Gabe Millen have been eagerly awaiting the epic Washington D.C. field trip.

The trip includes visits to historical landmarks such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. However, due to low attendance, the school board is no longer supporting the D.C. expedition as a class field trip, according to the November 10, 2014 board minutes.

“I think about, they’re at like, 30 to 40 percent of the class going. So it’s hard to call it a class trip if you only have 30 percent of the class going,” Said principal Richard Cook. This lack of attendance stems primarily from the cost of the trip. School board treasurer Cindy Lance said, “It’s cost prohibitive. There is a declining trend for students who have wanted to go.”

Eighth grader parent Ashley Wilcox is paying for the field trip this year with a payment plan from the bank.

“I think they should do more fundraisers,” Wilcox said. “I think that would help a lot more people out.”

Cook mentioned that another possible reason for the low attendance is that students have other trips to spend money on. These can include band, choir and other various field trips for the student’s other classes.

Students who have been looking forward to the nations capitol trip may be disappointed; however, the board is considering replacing the field trip with another, according to Cook.

“We talked about that, a different trip, that would be less expensive and more students could go to. We talked about Chicago. Chicago has a variety of museums and cultural attractions.”