Cy-Fair Edition | February 2023

LOOK

A CLOSER The opening of Elementary School No. 58 and Middle School No. 20 in 2023-24, as well as Elementary School No. 59 in 2024-25, triggered boundary changes.

changes. Geographical factors, such as neighborhoods, are also consid- ered, Director of General Administra- tion Kristi Giron said. As of the fall semester, several cam- puses are already overcapacity for the 2022-23 school year, with Smith Middle School at 134% capacity, and Rennell and M. Robinson elementary schools at 118%. Meanwhile, other campuses are under capacity as low as 66% uti- lization at Metcalf Elementary School. In addition to populating new schools, redrawing the boundaries will help balance enrollment at doz- ens of campuses across the district, CFISD officials said. Giron said Cypress Ranch is understaffed

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developed the recommendation. The agenda item was discussed for five consecutive meetings starting Nov. 14, and slight adjustments were proposed during that time that met the requests of both residents and board members. Board members lis- tened to hours of public comment at meetings and reviewed community feedback submitted online. Leslie Francis, assistant superintendent for communication and community rela- tions, said over 5,500 forms were sub- mitted between Nov. 15-Jan. 12. Some parents were not pleased with the proposed changes. Resi-

1 2022-23 boundaries 2 2023-24 boundaries 3 2024-25 boundaries

MAP KEY

SOURCE: CY-FAIR ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

The district’s 20th middle school will open this fall in Bridgeland and will relieve Smith Middle School, which is operating at 134% capacity.

BRIDGELAND CREEK PKWY.

MS No. 20

Smith

FRY RD.

Smith

TUCKERTON RD.

dents of Bridge Creek, one of the newest neighbor- hoods in Cypress, advocated against the initial plan to rezone their students to Cypress Springs High School. The final bound- ary changes ultimately kept Bridge Creek

“OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, WE HAVE CHANGED THE BOUNDARIES TO ACCOMMODATE THE OPENING OF 39 NEW CAMPUSES.” KRISTI GIRON, CYFAIR ISD DIRECTOR OF GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Elementary School No. 58 opening this fall will serve Windstone Colony , Cypress

by fi ve teach- ers and already has 24 “floating” teachers who do not have a home base due to a lack of space. With a capacity for 3,219 students, the campus had 3,626 students as of the fall semester. B o u n d a r y

W. LITTLE YORK RD.

BARKER CYPRESS RD.

W. LITTLE YORK RD.

BARKER CYPRESS RD.

Hemmenway

McFee Sheridan

McFee

Emery

Meadows , Westeld Ranch and area residents. N

Sheridan

Emery

M. Robinson

Wilson

ES No. 58

Wilson

FRY RD.

Students from Miramesa, Avalon at Cypress and Bridge Creek will attend Elementary School No. 59 starting in 2024-25.

BRIDGELAND CREEK PKWY.

zoned to Cypress Ranch High School. “We all have recently uprooted our families and moved here from all over the country. Then we were notified that our children would be uprooted again from both their ele- mentary and high schools, and not be continuing on with their friends and classmates,” Bridge Creek resi-

changes will relieve Cypress Ranch and Bridgeland high schools and send more students to underused Cypress Falls and Langham Creek high schools. Sarah Harty, assistant superinten- dent for school leadership, said see- ing choirs singing in hallways and art teachers working on loading docks is commonplace at overcapacity schools. On the other hand, underused cam- puses have their own challenges. “You run the risk of not being able to offer courses … particularly with your dual-credit courses, your Advanced Placement courses, those language courses, those higher-level courses,” she said. Giron said the district’s growth over the past 20 years has brought the need for 39 new campuses, so rezon- ing has occurred several times over that period. However, the opening of Elementary School No. 58 and Mid- dle School No. 20 in 2023-24 and Ele- mentary School No. 59 in 2024-25 will complete the new schools included in the district’s $1.76 billion bond pro- gram approved in 2019. Superintendent Mark Henry said a 13th high school was not included in the bond and likely will not open until the 2030s based on current

Wells

Rennell

FRY RD.

ES No. 59

Postma

Andre

dent Bandita Sai said. The need for rezoning

TUCKERTON RD.

As Cy-Fair’s population growth begins to level off in the next decade, demographers project a shrinking elementary school population as those students move into the district’s middle and high schools. CFISD is set to gain a net 1,832 students from 2023-24 to 2031-32. FUTURE FORECAST

Several factors go into the atten- dance boundary proposal process, including enrollment projections, school capacities, feeder patterns, community input and minimizing

1,200 1,000 800

Elementary school projections: -194 students

Middle school projections: +458 students

High school projections: +1,569 students

600 400 200

-600 -400 -200 0

SOURCES: CY-FAIR ISD, POPULATION AND SURVEY ANALYSTS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM