HAMPSHIRE -- Two years ago, when Hampshire High School first was invited to join the Fox Valley Conference, the school still shared a campus with Hampshire Middle School on State Street. It had only 650 students, according to Principal Chuck Bumbales.

The FVC contacted the school again early this September.

"Many things have changed in our building and our circumstances in those 18 months," Bumbales said.

Hampshire now is in its new building at 1600 Big Timber Road. It has an ever-increasing student population of 1,015 and a lively rivalry with their neighbors just down Illinois Route 47 -- Burlington Central High School.

That's why the school now wants to leave the Big Northern Conference for Fox Valley, its principal told the Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education Monday night.

Bumbales said the school told the Big Northern it was considering the move in September. The BNC requires two years' notice before leaving its conference.

The school also has notified parents, its athletics booster club and its coaches through its newsletter and informational meetings. Reactions to the possible move have been mixed, Bumbales said.

No parents have contacted the school with feedback. The athletic boosters' response was overwhelmingly positive. And the 20 coaches who have responded seem evenly divided among three opinions: "We should have gone the last time and really need to go now, we should stay where we are until we grow larger and we should go, but try to get the time frame extended for as long as possible."

The school board's only expressed concern Monday? That the move won't affect the Hampshire-Burlington Central rivalry.

The conference doesn't just include sports, but also includes clubs, other academic contests and leadership activities.

"We think more than anything else there are a number of opportunities that don't exist because of the small size of the schools in our conference," Bumbales said.

FVC student populations range from 900 students to 2,500, according to the Hampshire principal. When the school had 650 students, "We did not feel that was a competitive balance."

But in the 2011-2012 school year, when Hampshire would be free to leave the BNC, Bumbales said the school is projected to have 1,200 students.

The school board is expected to vote on Hampshire's move from Big Northern to Fox Valley at its next meeting on Nov. 9.