In a situation like this, I would pursue every angle I could.
That includes talking to other schools with no teams, talking to schools with teams about possibly merging, talking to machine shops about getting potential build space there, etc. If you limit yourself to pursuing just one of these things, you could end up wasting a good deal of time.
Start figuring out how much money you will need (including champs IMO, though most will say not to) to run the team if you get no help from the school and start applying for grants, sponsorships, and start fundraising.
It is going to probably suck but if you work your tail off, it is possible.
1002 started a team many years ago alongside Jeremy Roberts which consisted of kids from all over the area that went to schools that didnt have teams (or the kids were home schooled). They still exist.
If you get off the ground, one issue is to figure out how to be able to miss school for competition.
Thats my 2 cents. refer to this thread for low budget drive train ideas
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...light=poohbear