Georgetown Edition | September 2024

Education

BY CHLOE YOUNG

LHISD acquires more land to prepare for future development

Liberty Hill ISD has accelerated its e orts to purchase additional properties in recent years as the Liberty Hill area is projected to experience substantial growth. The district’s enrollment—which nearly doubled over the past ve years—is expected to reach over 18,000 students in 2033 as dozens of new subdivisions, including thousands of single-family homes and multi-family units, are underway. Meanwhile, the district has acquired over 400 acres of new land through its 2021 bond election, some of which will accommodate the opening of several new campuses in the coming school years, Superintendent Steven Snell said in an interview with Community Impact . LHISD currently owns several undeveloped sites across the district that could serve as future elementary, middle or high schools. This summer, the district purchased a nearly 20- acre property next to Liberty Hill High School to serve as a new agricultural barn. It also purchased around 8.5 acres for a future agricultural facility next to the o‰cial Legacy Ranch High School campus, which will open in 2026. The district’s ninth elementary school—opening in 2027 or 2028—may be located at a district- owned site in the Butler Farms master-planned community, Snell said. The district seeks to buy land in areas that are projected to experience future growth as the price of land can skyrocket once an area is developed, Snell said.

200

201

5

1

206

3

2

6

2

4

3405

1

183

3

CROSS CREEK RD.

7

Liberty Hill

8

4

5

9

1869

29

Future school/facility sites (owned by LHISD) 1 Future elementary school or middle school site 2 Potential site of Elementary School No. 9 3 New agricultural barn 4 Elementary School No. 8 5 Future elementary school site 6 Future high school and middle school site 7 Legacy Ranch High School 8 Future agricultural facility 9 Future transportation/maintenance facility Liberty Hill ISD properties

N

MAP NOT TO SCALE

Potential sites (not yet owned by LHISD) 1 Potential elementary school site 2 Potential middle school site 3 Potential elementary school site 4 Potential elementary school site 5 Potential elementary school site Current schools or facilities

SOURCE: LIBERTY HILL ISD™COMMUNITY IMPACT

School openings

By the numbers

Looking ahead

2025-26

Each type of school requires the following acre- age and construction time and has the following building capacity, Snell said.

The district is projected to open several campuses over the next 10 years; however, the timeline for each campus may be subject to change, Snell said. LHISD is expected to have ve high schools once the area is built out. The district uses bonds to purchase land for future schools and facilities several years in advance of their projected opening, Snell said. “If you can get land in an area that’s a future growth corridor, then not only do you have a school in the right location, but you bought it at yesterday’s price,” Snell said.

Elementary School No. 8 2026-27

2029-30 2028-29 2027-28

Elementary School No. 9

Space needed

Time to build

Middle School No. 4 2030-31

Capacity

Elementary schools

800-1,000 students

Elementary School No. 10 2031-32

12 acres

1 year

High School No. 3 2032-33

1,200- 1,500 students 2,500 students

Middle schools

30-40 acres

1.5-2 years

Elementary School No. 11 2033-34

High schools

80-100 acres

2-3 years

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GEORGETOWN EDITION

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