Education
BY DAVE MANNING
Lamar Consolidated ISD officials are proactively planning for what a demographic firm projects will be decades of “hypergrowth” by opening nine new schools in the next two years. A January report from demographer Zonda predicted the district will receive an average of 2,135 new students annually for the next decade. “Our recent workshop with Zonda Education provided valuable insights into future enrollment trends, allowing us to anticipate growth and plan accordingly,” Chief Communications Officer Sonya Cole-Hamilton said in an emailed statement. Zonda analyzed growth trends and projections, and rated LCISD a “hypergrowth” district, meaning it has an elementary school zone that has between 150 to 300 new home starts annually. Bob Templeton, vice president for Zonda’s education division, said the geographic size of the district is a factor in the growth, with 385 square miles zoned to its schools. His company’s data shows over 37,000 homes in development. Zonda’s data shows ongoing and future developments in the Fulshear area, including: • Fulshear Lakes : 425 homesites • Fullbrook on Fulshear : 389 homesites • Del Webb Fulshear : 725 homesites ‘Hypergrowth’ status spurs LCISD into action
The conditions
Diving in deeper
In the Fulshear area, which is served by both LCISD and Katy ISD, new residential construction points to a need for schools for new families coming to the area, as shown by LCISD’s plans for two 2022 bond-funded elementary schools opening in the next two years, per the district. In addition, district officials are actively seeking feedback from its constituents on how to best meet the challenges of the growth, as it acknowledges bonds will continue to be needed to adequately address the trends of increased enrollment. “Community engagement and collaboration with stakeholders remain integral to our long-term vision for managing growth sustainably,” Cole-Hamilton said.
Lamar CISD enrollment projections
65,741
80K
46,174
60K
40K
20K
0
SOURCE: LAMAR CISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Schools in the district are experiencing overcrowding due to the area’s population growth. However, Cole-Hamilton said in an emailed statement that LCISD staff are taking some measures to mitigate the situation. She said those actions include: • Ongoing construction projects for new schools
WESTHEIMER PKWY. LCISD’s Fulshear schools
TEXAS HERITAGE PKWY.
99 TOLL
• Boundary adjustments • Resource management
1463
5
3
“At present, while some of our schools may be experiencing increased enrollment, we are con- tinuously monitoring capacity and implementing measures to ensure that all students have access to quality education in a conducive learning environment,” she said. To help meet rising enrollment, voters passed a $1.52 billion bond referendum in November 2022. The bond will fund the construction of new schools, technology enhancements, and safety and security changes.
4
359
2
1
1093
6
N
5 LCISD Elementary No. 36 Upcoming schools 1 Huggins Elementary 2 James Randolph Elementary Existing schools
3 Joe M. Adams Junior High 4 Viola Gilmore Randle Elementary
6 LCISD Elementary No. 37
SOURCE: LAMAR CISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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