If you asked any Fossil Ridge High School student if they use a locker, there is a pretty high chance that they would say no.

In 2013, there were 1642 assigned lockers, about three-quarters of the student body that year. Locker registration has dropped since, with only 392 assigned lockers this year, a 70% decrease. That is registered lockers – if you counted the ones that are frequently used, the number might be even lower.

The reason behind this drop? Perhaps, some said, the decreased amount of school materials students have to carry around now.

“I’ve never used a locker, I just carry everything around,” junior Finley Keller said.  “Not everybody has a bunch of things to carry around, especially now with textbooks, people are using them less.”

Fossil Assistant Principal Brad Nye also said that the introduction of laptops, which may have reduced what would go into a backpack, may be why locker use has dropped so much.

“Once we started giving out laptops to students, and every student had their own laptop, maybe that decreased the need to store more things in lockers, even though teachers still have certain books for their classes,” Nye said.

Or, he said, the reason could be the desire for social interaction.

“I don’t know if it’s just easier for them to walk back and forth to their classes and… spend more time talking to their friends in the hall than having to go to their locker then go to their next class.” Nye said.

Not all students have given up locker storage space, however.

“I use my sports locker for sports equipment, and other things, like extra pairs of shoes in my normal locker,” freshman Cire Flores said. “I usually keep books and other things that I can’t carry in my bag.”

Freshman Dennis Gutierrez is another student who finds the lockers convenient.

“Just so I don’t have to carry around all my stuff,” he said.

Junior Isabella Doss, also an athlete, utilizes lockers in a similar way.

“I use mine every day for my cross-country ride,” she said, referring to her cross-country running.

Many athletes prefer to store their equipment in lockers during their off-season, when sports lockers are not available.

Despite fading locker usage, school administration prefers to leave them around for student choice.

“It’s not necessarily like we can do anything with them, and I think it’s something that will always ebb and flow with students about whether they want them or not,” Nye said.