District budgets tighten as school options grow From the cover
By the numbers
The overview
District transfers
Spring ISD Klein ISD Transfers in Transfers out
Despite growth in the area population, SISD enrollment has dropped by about 6% in the last decade, while the number of students transfer- ring out each year for charter schools or other public school districts increased about 148% in the same time frame. Simultaneously, KISD saw 14% enrollment growth and 85% more students leaving for charters and other public schools. Public school—which includes charter schools—enrollment has increased at a slower rate statewide compared to before the coronavirus pandemic, said Bob Popinski, senior director of policy at Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonprofit education advocacy group. “[Texas schools] do base our funding off of aver- age daily attendance, so when enrollment declines and attendance declines, you get into some issues with funding,” Popinski said.
Community Impact analyzed data from the Texas Education Agency on transfers from local school districts and total enrollment. Transfer data from the TEA for the 2022-23 school year shows 14% of students zoned to Spring ISD and 4% of students zoned to Klein ISD left the district for charter or public schools in a different district. Of 27 Greater Houston-area school districts analyzed by Community Impact , TEA data revealed SISD had the fourth-highest percentage of net transfers compared to total enrollment for the 2022-23 school year, behind Houston, Alief and La Porte ISDs. TEA data also shows the students who are leaving are largely choosing charter schools, which continue to open in the Spring and Klein areas. Enrollment opened in February for Yes Prep North Rankin Elementary School’s inaugural 2024-25 school year, and officials with Harmony Public Schools broke ground in March on a new elementary campus in City Place. Slated to open for the 2025-26 school year, Harmony Science Academy-City Place will be followed by a combined middle and high school campus set to open in 2027. Educational options are not limited to charter schools, however. No Texas agency tracks private or homeschool students, but TEA and U.S. Census Bureau Annual Community Survey data shows about 21% of kids ages 5-19 living in KISD’s boundaries and 24% living in SISD’s boundaries are choosing one of these options. ACS five-year estimates data shows 68,084 kids ages 5-19 lived within KISD’s boundaries and 45,104 lived within SISD’s boundaries in 2022. KISD’s enrollment for the 2022-23 school year was 53,712, and SISD’s was 34,114, meaning the districts captured about 79% and 76%, respectively, of possible students.
0 1K 2K 5K 3K 4K 6K
5,055
2,666
545 141
Top Klein ISD, Spring ISD transfers to other districts, charter schools, 2022-23
Number of students
91
Aldine ISD
281
120
Hallsville ISD
197
441
Harmony Public Schools
570
District enrollment vs. charter school transfers Klein ISD Spring ISD
59
Idea Public Schools
719
61
Transfers from KISD and SISD to charter schools
Kipp Texas Public Schools
152
31
Legacy School of Sport Sciences
53,712
20K 30K 50K 40K 60K
221
47,045
73
Sam Houston State University Charter School
163
524
School of Science and Technology
1,184
36,098
34,114
253
Texas College Preparatory Academies
303
5,572
2,270
10K
272
Tomball ISD
42
0
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Each school district missed out on basic allotment funding* in the 2022-23 school year for students who are zoned for their schools but did not attend. The breakdown
The cost
KISD leaders are budgeting with enrollment trends in mind, KISD Chief of Staff Dayna Hernan- dez said in a March 21 email. “While student transfers can affect our enroll- ment, KISD is an established district that contin- ues to attract families,” Hernandez said. Charter schools also receive state funding and were impacted by a lack of funding dedicated to schools during the 88th state legislative session, Popinski said.
SISD is facing a $25 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2024-25. The anticipated funding gap is “largely due” to a lack of state funding, but can also be attributed to decreased student enroll- ment, SISD officials said in a March 22 email. “This trend is ... seen across many districts,” the email reads. “While it’s challenging to quantify the exact impact, it’s clear that decreased enrollment directly affects our funding, as it is partly based on student attendance.”
Potential funding lost
Spring ISD:
Klein ISD:
$13.1M
$30.3M
*THESE AMOUNTS ARE SOLELY BASED ON THE BASIC ALLOTMENT PER STUDENT IN STATE FUNDING, WHICH HAS REMAINED $6,160 PER STUDENT SINCE 2019.
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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