What’s happening?
The DSISD Attendance Zoning Committee, made of parents, staff and community members, held their first two of four community meetings to receive feedback on possible new attendance zones within the district Oct. 17. The attendance zones will account for new school developments in the district, including the expansion of Sycamore Springs Middle School and the construction of a brand new elementary school.
The committee showed three map options, Option C, Option J and Option M, each splitting the current attendance zones and their planning units in different ways. Planning units are subsections of attendance zones that can be moved to different areas during rezoning.
Some parents in attendance voiced concern over leaving communities they are familiar with and travel routes to their new schools.
Shannon Mazza, a Cypress Springs attendance zone resident, said she is concerned about possibly moving to the Rooster Springs attendance zone because of inconvenient routes and leaving her community.
“Rezoning this section makes no sense,” Mazza said. “Especially since two of the neighborhoods [in a different planning unit] are staying in Cypress Springs and we share a bus.”
Mazza said the possibility of moving to a different zone is difficult to deal with emotionally.
“Please take that into consideration. My heart hurts,” she said during public comment.
The new attendance zones would go into effect starting fall 2025.
What the committee is saying
During public comment on the morning of Oct. 17, DSISD Superintendent Holly Morris-Kuentz said the Attendance Zoning Committee is taking students in the 14A planning unit in Walnut Springs into particular consideration, while still keeping overcapacity in mind.
Map Option C and Option J both project overcapacity at Walnut Springs Elementary as early as the 2026-27 school year if the attendance zones change, while map Option M projects overcapacity at Dripping Springs Elementary by the 2026-27 school year.
Morris-Kuentz also discussed the possibility of “grandfathering in” students to consider stability for students, particularly those in middle school.
“We know those transition years are important,” she said. “We know that's one of the hardest things about attendance zoning, so grandfathering will be that really big next step that we'll take to try and help resolve some of that.”
The context
The proposed maps are part of the district’s plan to create new attendance zones as they continue construction of a sixth elementary school and an expansion of Sycamore Springs Middle School.
The developments will account for overcapacity across the district, according to DSISD officials. In the 2024-25 academic school year, 8,900 students are enrolled, which is over the 8,850 capacity limit, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The district is projecting further enrollment growth and overcapacity through 2033, with more than an additional 1,400 students enrolled at the Dripping Springs attendance zone and over an additional 1,200 students enrolled in the Walnut Springs attendance zone by 2033, according to official DSISD documents.
DSISD projects the most growth in Walnut Springs and Dripping Springs attendance zones, primarily along Hwy. 290, RM 12 and the intersection of Hwy. 290 and RM 12.
The Attendance Zoning Committee created the proposed attendance zone maps to account for overcapacity and city growth, Morris-Kuentz said. The proposed maps were created by committee members with initial assistance from Population and Survey Analysts.
What’s next
The Attendance Zoning Committee will continue community meetings Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. A feedback form is also available on their website.
The committee will review community feedback and present new maps to the Dripping Springs ISD board of trustees in November for the first time. The Attendance Zoning Committee will consider feedback from the board and present their final map to DSISD in December.
