Education
BY LIZZY SPANGLER & JULIANNA WASHBURN
New TISD high school attendance zones to be approved in December Ahead of Tomball ISD’s third high school, Tom- ball West, opening next fall, new attendance zones will be approved in December, Chief Operating O cer Steven Gutierrez said Nov. 11. The proposed attendance zones were endorsed by trustees last November when new attendance zones were approved for intermediate and junior high schools, per TISD information. In a nutshell The new zones will only a ect students in ninth and 10th grades and not 11th or 12th grades. TISD o cials project that TWHS enrollment will be 855 students when the campus rst opens. Gutierrez said when Tomball Memorial High School rst opened around 15 years ago, it did so with 843 students. Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora also said Tomball ISD growth rate hits 1.8% The growth rate of Tomball ISD—about 1.8%—is the lowest in 12 years, Mark White, the district’s assistant superintendent of accountability, said Nov. 10. “Growth is still happening. ... But growth is not even when we look at the parts of our school district, the di erent campuses and the di erent grade levels,” White said. On Oct. 31—the snapshot date for the Public Education Information Management System, or PEIMS TISD’s enrollment reached 23,256 students, according to White’s presentation. More details White said a housing slump is contribut- ing to the low growth rate. Per an analysis by Red n, a real estate brokerage, national housing turnover is at its lowest rate in decades, with 28 out of every 1,000 homes changing hands in 2025. In Houston, there were 23.3 sales per 1,000 homes in 2025, a 13% decrease compared to 2024.
TISD, MISD raise bus driver compensation Both Magnolia and Tomball ISD trustees voted to increase bus driver pay at their meetings Oct. 27 and Nov. 11, respectively. Breaking it down Per information from both districts, MISD’s new starting pay rate is $23.25 per hour. TISD’s starting pay is $25 per hour for full-time drivers, $20 per hour for trainees, and $22 per hour for driver substitutes.
Tomball ISD projected high school enrollment Tomball high school
Tomball West high school Tomball Memorial high school
500 0 1K 1.5K 2K 2.5K 3K 3.5K
To see the proposed high school attendance zones, scan the QR code. *TOMBALL WEST HS WILL OPEN WITH NINTH AND 10TH GRADES, REACHING FULL 9 12 ENROLLMENT IN THE 2028 29 SCHOOL YEAR. SOURCE: TOMBALL ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
“I think that this [increase] will not only help us keep the people; it’s a retention, but also a recruitment tool.” MARTHA SALAZAR ZAMORA, TISD SUPERINTENDENT
the projected enrollment isn’t inclusive of stu- dents who’ll be in the Tomball Academy of Future Educators program, or any transfer students, so that number will likely rise. Trustees’ next meetings are Dec. 8 and 9.
TISD approves 2026 27 course catalog changes
Junior high and high school students in Tomball ISD will have the option to take new classes in the 2026-27 school year, including Mariachi I and II, Sci- enti c Research and Design, and Musical Theater, after trustees approved changes to the district’s course catalog during their Nov. 11 meeting. Chief Academic O cer Michael Webb presented the changes to the school board during the Nov. 10 workshop meeting, which includes 17 new courses and three course removals. At the junior high school level, the courses Touch Systems Data Entry and College and Career Explo- ration will be removed in place of General Employ- ability Skills, and Crafts will be removed at the high school level, which Webb said has low enrollment. Also of note In response to a question from board Secretary John McStravick, Webb said the district does not have grants in place to help students pay for any course fees but that TISD would work to make sure any student could still take a course. “We’re not going to let $25 prevent a student from taking a course,” Webb said. “We do that right
New junior high courses: Mariachi I and II Spanish II
General Employability Skills
New high school courses:
Turf and Grass Management Landscape Design and Maintenance Scienti c Research and Design CTE Project-Based Capstone Energy and Natural Resource Technology Chinese III and IV German 5 Musical Theater I, II, III and IV Dual-Credit Environmental Science I and II
SOURCE: TOMBALL ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
now with dual-credit fees. We’ll nd a way to make sure that that student is able to take that course.” Stay tuned The new courses will be added to the junior high and high school course catalogs for the 2026-27 school year.
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TOMBALL MAGNOLIA EDITION
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