Districtwide enrollment is projected at 8,013 students based on data made available as of June 4. Average class sizes are expected to increase at Barton Creek Elementary School and Forest Trail Elementary School as well as others.
The fourth-grade average class size at Forest Trail may increase from about 21 students to 26.3, according to the data, and Barton Creek’s third-grade average class size could increase from 19 to 25.3 students.
Enrollment numbers are monitored on a daily basis, and the district is aware of sections that are experiencing growth, according to Superintendent Tom Leonard.
“I know we have a couple of bubbles that are happening, and they’re happening at the elementary school,” Leonard said during a June 23 board meeting.
A delegation of 61 Forest Trail Elementary School parents submitted a statement that underscored their concerns regarding the new figures during a June 9 district study session.
“We are extremely troubled with an average class size of 26.3 [students] to start the school year,” the statement reads. “This is unprecedented and puts our students at a significant disadvantage going into a very important grade.”
A significant number of families have recently moved into the district, Leonard said, adding several families have relocated from California, and some families have transferred their children from private schools to EISD.
In the past, the district has implemented additional class sections in the run up to new school years in order to accommodate unexpected enrollment numbers. According to Leonard, that option is on the table for the 2020-21 school year.
“We are watching [enrollment] all summer, every summer,” Leonard said.
