As Georgetown ISD works to adjust its middle and elementary school attendance zones in anticipation of two new schools opening later this year, district officials have shared that rising fifth and eighth grade students might have the opportunity to remain at their current campus for their last year.

What's happening?

Students who will start fifth or eighth grade in the 2024-25 school year may be able to remain at their current campus, and their siblings might also be able to remain for one year, said Lannon Heflin, GISD's chief of technology and innovation, during a Dec. 18 board meeting.

Heflin said the grandfathering would come with some conditions:

• Parents will have to provide transportation for students who attend schools where they are no longer zoned.
• Grandfathering for siblings would depend on capacity of their grade level on campus.

Applications for students to remain at their campus will be handled through the district's internal transfer program and will become available later in January, Heflin said.

The backstory

To address ongoing growth needs of its student population, GISD will open San Gabriel Elementary School and the new Benold Middle School for the 2024-25 school year. Attendance boundaries for the district's elementary and middle schools will be adjusted to reallocate students to each of the district's soon-to-be 11 elementary schools and four middle schools. The old Benold Middle School campus will eventually be repurposed into a new elementary school.