Tomball and Magnolia Independent School Districts expect to add thousands of students in the next decade, and both districts have hired demographers to keep close track of where growth is happening in each district. In response to the growth in the northeast and southern regions of the district, voters in Tomball ISD approved a $160 million bond in May to fund four new schools and pay for renovations at all existing schools.

Tomball ISD's enrollment grew 6.2 percent in 2013, adding an additional 727 students from last year and bringing the total to 12,499 students. The district is expected to grow by 700 to 800 students each year during the next six years, and then between 400 to 600 students a year to close out the decade, according to the demographer's report presented to the district at the end of 2013. In the 2023-24 school year, the district's enrollment is projected to be 19,246 students, the report says.

"Our student enrollment continues to increase, indicating that our community is growing," Tomball ISD Director of Communications Staci Stanfield said. "We are fortunate that voters approved Bond 2013, which will enable us to serve our students as our enrollment increases. We will continue to monitor growth projections and plan accordingly for the future."

The surge in enrollment is attributed to the area's explosive population growth, fueled by energy companies moving to the area such as Baker Hughes, Noble Energy and ExxonMobil, said Magnolia ISD Superintendent Todd Stephens. In addition, transportation improvements in the area, including the construction of the Hwy. 249 tollway, the widening of FM 1488 and the Grand Parkway, will help with congestion and open the area to more development and additional home sales, Stephens said.

Tomball ISD is one of the fastest-growing school districts, based on percentage of student growth, among seven counties surrounding Houston, including Harris, Chambers, Galveston, Liberty, Waller, Fort Bend and Brazoria counties, Tomball Superintendent Huey Kinchen said. There are 51 public school districts in those counties.

"Managing growth can be challenging, but we plan in advance and we are prepared for enrollment increases," Kinchen said.

TISD regularly monitors growth numbers internally, Stanfield said. The demographer's study was in addition to other enrollment tracking the district continuously monitors.

New schools

Tomball district administrators have started working with architects to plan for the new schools to be built with the bond money. Construction is expected to begin in late spring and early summer of 2014.

Three of Tomball's new campuses are scheduled to be open for the 2015–16 school year—a kindergarten–fourth grade elementary school, which is being built at the intersection of Northpointe Boulevard and Shaw Road; an intermediate school serving students in the fifth and sixth grades, which will be on Shaw Road; and a kindergarten–fifth grade elementary school to be built at New Harmony Place and Wendtwoods Drive in The Woodlands.

The fourth campus, a junior high school serving sixth through eighth graders, is scheduled to open in the 2016-17 school year, and will be at Creekside Green Drive and Kuykendahl Drive, Stanfield said.

"Our administrators meet weekly to discuss our bond program," Kinchen said. "At least every other month, we include a bond presentation during our board meetings to update our trustees and the community regarding the construction process. I am pleased with our progress, and we look forward to the construction phase."

Roof replacement projects at Tomball Elementary and Willow Creek Elementary will begin in the spring and are expected to be complete by the end of the summer, Stanfield said.

Security entrances will be installed at the majority of Tomball ISD campuses before the beginning of the 2014–15 school year, including Decker Prairie Elementary and Lakewood Elementary.

In addition, as part of the bond, the district will begin work on several improvements at the district's sports facilities in the spring.

A new track will be installed at Tomball ISD Stadium, and the tennis courts will be resurfaced. The Tomball Memorial High School football field will also receive synthetic turf. The district will also be resurfacing the tracks at Tomball Memorial High School, Willow Wood Junior High and Tomball Junior High.

The projects are scheduled to be complete by the end of the summer.

Magnolia

Magnolia ISD experienced double-digit growth in 2006 and 2007 during the economic boom, and enrollment has since slowed to 1.5 percent growth this year. Enrollment is at 12,146 students.

"We went through some really substantial growth—12 to 15 percent," Stephens said. "That slowed down with the economy. We are cautiously watching and waiting right now. You can feel the growth coming with ExxonMobil and other oil-related companies moving to the area."

The district is expected to grow by 1,435 students over the next five years to 13,581 students by 2018.

In 10 years, the district will add 4,260 students, growing enrollment to 16,406 students by 2023, according to a preliminary report from the district's demographer.

The demographer will soon present its findings to the Magnolia ISD board at an upcoming monthly public meeting, held the second Monday of each month.

"We have a very desirable place to raise a family," Stephens said. "Our growth has slowed because of the roads. Getting in and out of our district, from home to work, it's very difficult to move around some of these roads. Improving the roads is going to do so much for this community. It will open up the area to a lot of possibility for development and homebuyers. It's exciting."

Housing

The demographers working with both districts analyzed housing data in the region to determine growth projections.

In the second quarter of 2013, there were 1,648 new homes under construction in Magnolia and Tomball, compared with 1,196 homes in the second quarter of 2012, said David Jarvis, Houston director for Metrostudy, which compiles data on new construction.

Tomball ISD ranks ninth among Houston area school districts for the district with the most annual home closings in 2013, according to a report by the Houston Association of Realtors' Multiple Listing Service.

There were 1,271 closings in TISD, according to the agency's 2013 third quarter report. And there were 1,168 new home starts in the district during the same time period, the report says.

There are more than 3,000 available housing lots in Magnolia ISD, according to the district's findings. There were 392 housing starts in the district during the last nine months of 2013 and more than 400 closings, Stephens said. There has been a little more housing growth in the eastern part of the district, he said.

The schools in Magnolia ISD are at about 78 percent capacity, he said.

"I can absorb some growth. We're in a good place in our district," Stephens said. "The board's concern is we want to be responsible in terms of growth so we're not behind the curve, but we're also not putting undue burden on the taxpayers with buildings. Nothing would be worse than to build an elementary school with a low number of kids enrolled."

Magnolia West was added in 2006 to help with growth. Each high school has about 1,750 students enrolled and each can accommodate 3,000 students.

"We're still in good shape there," Stephens said. "We have space to see additional growth."