After Leander ISD’s $454.4 million bond passed Nov. 7, school district officials say they can now move forward with plans for a new elementary school.

LISD’s 27th elementary school is planned to be located in the Larkspur subdivision in northern Leander on land the district already owns, according to district spokesperson Corey Ryan.

Dr. Pat Guseman and Dr. Stacey Tepera of Population and Survey Analysts, or PASA, presented a demographic report at LISD's board of trustees meeting Nov. 17 that indicated this part of the city would experience significant growth. The Larkspur neighborhood school may also serve children from subdivisions such as Orchard Ridge, Bryson and Summerlyn West, relieving potentially soon-to-be overcrowded Pleasant Hill and Plain elementaries, said Jimmy Disler, chief facilities and operations officer for LISD.

“Thankfully the voters supported [the bond],” Disler said. “Otherwise our options were rezoning and portables, which are not ideal. [Those options] are not good ideas for learning; [they are] extremely stressful for families.”

Demographic data from PASA shows that between 2017-22, Larkspur, Bryson, Summerlyn West and Orchard Ridge are estimated to expand by over 1,500 single-family homes. The new elementary school is expected to be open in August 2019 with construction beginning in summer 2018, Disler said.

“Ultimately the Larkspur school actually will have challenges just meeting the needs of that whole area up there,” he said. “When you go out there, it’s just amazing—lots of homes and families living there now.”

Another elementary school is recommended in several years to meet the growing population in that area, according to the PASA presentation. The bond will fund construction and design for three elementary schools and one middle school and design for a fourth elementary school. All are suggested to be complete by 2023, according to the report.