Willis ISD reviews attendance, enrollment reports at regular meeting

Susan Clardy, Willis ISD’s executive director of continuous improvement and accountability, presented a report on the attendance and enrollment losses and gains that campuses in Willis ISD have undergone since the 2025-26 school year.

What officials are saying

According to the initial report, WISD as of Oct. 30 has an attendance rate of 94.27%. In comparison to last year at the same point, the district attendance rate was 94.49%. Since week four of the school semester, WISD has been behind last semester's attendance rate, which ultimately has major effects on state funding in the near future.

“The gap is small but even a few tenths of a point equals thousands of student days,” Clardy said. “Attendance also drives state funding, so we want to close the gap before the winter months when attendance usually drops.”

Year over year, the district has seen improvements in the attendance rates for five campuses in the district, with eight others falling behind last year's marks.

The five campuses with improvements in attendance are:

• Brabham Middle School

• Calfee Middle School

• Cannan Elementary School

• Parmley Elementary School

• Roark Early Education Center

The two largest changes in attendance rates occurred at Cobblefield Alternative Academy, which had an attendance drop of 9.50%, and Hardy Elementary School, which had an attendance drop of 1.01%.

Items worth mentioning

District enrollment in WISD is up from last year, with 41 more students reporting. Enrollment peaked at 9,776 students in week 7 and continued to fall until landing at 9,649 as of Nov. 11.

In comparison to last year as of Oct. 30, high schools are down 25 students and the Roark Early Education Center is also down 10 students. There were some gains, however, with middle schools in WISD up 52 students and elementary schools up by three students.