NORTHFIELD — In an effort to meet increasing demand, officials at Thomas Aquinas College are planning an expansion of the freshman class next fall.

According to an announcement from the private, four-year college, increasing the size of the freshman class by one-third is the first step in an expansion plan that will boost overall enrollment by more than 60% over the next four years. College President Paul O’Reilly expects a net gain of 100 students by the time next year’s freshmen become seniors, bringing the student body up to 280 — more than five times the population the New England campus opened with back in 2019.

“When you consider that each of the next four, enlarged freshman classes will replace smaller classes that graduate the year before, the expansion is quite dramatic,” O’Reilly said in a statement.

Each class of students at Thomas Aquinas College is divided into “sections” — groups of 16 to 19 students who take weekday classes together. The first freshman class on the New England campus in 2019 included two sections, whereas there will be four sections entering in 2024.

Since 2019, TAC-New England has seen its applications more than double, with a 21% jump in the last year, the announcement states.

The campus has become a part of the community since opening, according to Northfield Selectboard Chair Alex Meisner. He said students have taken advantage of the “economic offerings” in town, going to businesses such as Mim’s Market.

“They see the little tiny beauty that Northfield can bring to them and it’s nice that they can do that,” Meisner said. “It’s been a really good relationship and we always look forward to that.”

Town Administrator Andrea Llamas doesn’t expect that the increased number of students will have a significant impact on the town. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she said the students mostly remained on campus, but over the last year or two, they have been venturing into town on a regular basis, participating in the celebrations for Northfield’s 350th anniversary.

“I think we saw them at various events — we see them at the [Northfield Creamie] in the summer,” she said.

However, the town has seen some impacts to its services since the school opened. Meisner said the town has a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with the college, and as the class size increases, there will be more calls for services. Meisner noted the town’s wastewater treatment plant, which is an “aging” part of the town’s infrastructure, is of particular concern.

“We’re just going to have to grow with that,” he said.

In 2017, Thomas Aquinas College took ownership of the Northfield campus, which had once belonged to Northfield Mount Hermon School before its consolidation to the Gill campus. The Northfield campus had been vacant since 2005, being first owned by Hobby Lobby and then the National Christian Foundation.

In 2019, TAC-New England began its first academic year with a new freshman class and a group of sophomores transplanted from the Santa Paula, California campus, which has been open since 1971. The Class of 2022 included graduates from as close as Paxton and as far away as Brazil and the United Kingdom.

“We’re lucky to have them in our town,” Meisner said of the school. “Many, including myself, are looking forward to seeing what they do for us and what we can do for them.”

Max Bowen can be reached at 413-930-4074 or at mbowen@recorder.com.