LISD is facing unbalanced growth in the district, as schools in the northern portion of its boundaries are seeing more students move into their attendance zones. To provide relief to these schools, allow the district to make the best use out of its existing capacity and defer the timing of future school construction, the board approved in December a charter to rezone middle school and high school attendance levels.
The new attendance zones will go into effect in 2024.
“The goal is to have that ready to announce to those secondary parents that will be affected by it by this summer of 2023, so they have a full year to prepare for that,” Superintendent Bruce Gearing said.
Under the current attendance zones, Glenn High School is projected to reach 124% of its functional capacity by the 2025-26 school year, while Rouse High School would reach above 120% of its capacity by 2028-29 school year. Meanwhile, Cedar Park High School’s use of space is projected to drop from 80% capacity to 52% in the next 10 years.
Draft scenarios published in January for rezoning high schools would see some students move from GHS to CPHS, or to Leander High School; from LHS to CPHS; from RHS to GHS; and from Vista Ridge High School to CPHS.
At LISD middle schools, Stiles Middle School is expected to reach 131% capacity by the 2024-25 school year; and Danielson Middle School to reach 131% capacity by 2025-26. Students could potentially move from DMS to Cedar Park Middle School, to Leander Middle School, or to Wiley Middle School; from Four Points Middle School to Henry Middle School; from HMS to CPMS; and from LMS to Running Brushy Middle School.
The district will hold in-person community forums Feb. 8 at LHS; Feb. 13 at HMS; and Feb. 27 at WMS. A virtual forum will be held Feb. 28. All hearings are scheduled for 6:30-8 p.m. After collecting data and community input, the district is expected to present a recommendation for rezoning to the board of trustees in May.
