‘A long time coming’ From the cover
How we got here
What’s happening
Planning for the Magnolia Center has been ongoing since 2014, as the project was part of LSCS’s $485 million bond, which was approved by voters that same year. After the bond passed, the campus faced roadblocks from projects such as the Tomball Tollway extension and the FM 1488 overpass at FM 149, which delayed the campus’s location selection process, per prior reporting. The project’s design was completed in late 2022, and officials broke ground on the project in June 2024, as previously reported by Community Impact. “My very first meeting as a vice president was to go look at land for a potential Magnolia Center 15 years ago. Here we are, finally opening,” Nutt said. Magnolia is a growing area, which is why it was chosen for the new satellite campus, Nutt said. Formerly aligned to the system’s LSC-Montgomery campus located along Hwy. 242, Nutt said that due to the Magnolia Center’s proximity to LSC-Tomball, which is located along Hwy. 249, it is now part of that campus instead. Once it opens, LSC-Magnolia Center will join 10 other satellite campuses within LSCS. “We are excited to have one of the satellite campuses in our community,” Magnolia ISD’s Chief Communications Officer Denise Meyers said. The new satellite campus is located across from
Magnolia Center timeline
Over a decade after work began on it back in 2014, Lone Star College System officials will welcome the first students through the doors of Lone Star College-Magnolia Center on Jan. 20 for the spring 2026 semester. Lone Star College-Tomball President Lee Ann Nutt said that at the Magnolia Center, a satellite campus for LSC-Tomball, students can complete associate degrees for university transfer and work toward workforce certifications in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as emergency medical services, according to the campus’ website. The HVAC and EMS programs were chosen based on feedback from the community. Nutt said the other classes offered at the satellite campus will be freshman- and sophomore-level university transfer- type courses such as English, math and government. All classes at the Magnolia Center will also be face-to-face. The total cost of the 85,000-square-foot satellite campus was $28.15 million, Nutt said. Sitting on 15 acres, the campus will also feature a library and comprehensive student support services, per its website. “This is a long time coming. … The community has wanted it for a very long time,” Nutt said. ”So when we open in January, we will open in January. We’re not going to do a soft start, we’re not going to just open a few things. We’re going to open.”
November: Voters approve $485 million bond Summer: Search continues for site of LSC-Magnolia Center January: LSC-Creekside Center opens in Tomball March: Officials consider locations for LSC-Magnolia Center January: LSCS purchases land along FM 1486 for LSC-Magnolia Center
2014 2015 2016 2017
2019
Late 2022: The project’s design is completed
2022
June: Officials break ground on LSC-Magnolia Center January: Classes slated to begin at the new campus
2024
2026
SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Magnolia West High School along FM 1486. Meyers said MISD officials have begun discussing poten- tial partnership opportunities with LSCS officials.
Zooming out
Features of LSC-Magnolia Center
population in Magnolia rose from 2,938 to 6,321—a 115.15% increase. “As population growth has accelerated, the [Magnolia Economic Development Corp.] board has seen firsthand the increasing demand for accessible pathways to promotions, skill devel- opment, and higher-wage careers,” said MEDC Executive Director Rachel Steele.
While officials get ready to open this new cam- pus, enrollment at the college system as a whole is growing, per LSCS data. Between the fall of 2012 and the fall of 2025, enrollment grew 25%—rising from 77,877 to 97,294. Magnolia’s population is also growing, per estimates from the Texas Demographic Cen- ter. Between July 2021 and January 2025, the
85,000 square feet
$28.15M
7 classrooms
Sits on 15 acres
Lone Star College System's total enrollment
+24.93%
100K
5 computer classrooms
7 labs
97,294
80K 60K 40K 20K 0
77,877
Will be LSCS’s 11th satellite campus
Includes a library
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Fall semester
SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACT
20
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