BY SIENNA WIGHT
Measuring the impact
Looking ahead
Wright said that over the next ve years, he would like to continue eorts to keep up with growth and to provide more internship and externship opportunities for students— partnering with more local businesses to learn which soft skills are most valuable. “To me, the school should be a reection of the community,” Wright said.
Rapid growth in the area has also presented challenges for the district. According to the United States Census Bureau, the population of Hays County grew from 157,000 in 2010 to 241,000 in 2020, then to an estimated 292,000 in 2024. Wright said that since he started in 2018, the area has added roughly 3,500 new homes and 600-1,000 students per year. If growth rates continue, he said the district will serve approxi- mately 80,000 students by 2067. “Trying to open up schools and take care of our growth with less money has been really, really challenging,” Wright said. As of 2023-24, the ratio of teachers to students is 1-15.5. This ratio may increase if teaching positions are lost to attrition or budget cuts in the coming months. Budget cuts will also make it dicult to oer competitive rates for teachers, something that ocials say they want to be able to do.
Hays CISD enrollment Superintendent Eric Wright said HCISD has enrolled an additional 600-1,000 every year since he started in 2018.
Number of students enrolled
26K
+17.26%
24K
Key dates
March 30 Budget cuts announced April Bond committee begins 2027 bond planning May 2 Hays CISD trustee election day
22K
20K
0 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26*
Academic year
SOURCE: HAYS CISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
*AS OF FEB. 17
SOURCE: HAYS CISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
23
SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION
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