As Frisco’s population grows, rezoning takes place to preserve the district’s small school model, which supports students having opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.
Over the past 20 years, attendance zones have been changed 17 times to accommodate the opening of 61 new campuses, according to a district news release.
Kris Poole presented to the board on behalf of Population and Survey Analysts (PASA), the largest demographic firm in the state. PASA assists school districts in rezoning plans by providing enrollment projections based on factors such as city housing projections, undeveloped land and current student populations.
The presentation highlighted the projected growth of the city over the next 10 years, which included more multifamily developments than single-family homes. PASA’s research also found that students who have not yet returned to campuses due to the pandemic would likely return by the 2022-23 school year.
Currently, there are more than 65,000 students enrolled in FISD. By 2026, PASA projects more than 71,400 students to be enrolled. By 2031, the projected enrollment will jump to just over 74,500.
The proposed zones would affect schools at all levels. Elementary schools are built to support 760 students. Middle schools are built for around 900 students and high schools for 2,100.
Minett Elementary School, which will open in August of 2022, is drawn to pull almost exclusively from Newman Elementary, which has a projected enrollment of 1,010 by 2022. Some neighborhoods in the Boals, Corbell, Miller, Phillips, Purefoy and Robertson attendance areas would also be affected.
Cobb and Pioneer Heritage middle schools are also affected by the proposed zones. The proposed change would move Pioneer Heritage students to Cobb, which is projected to lose students over time without a boundary adjustment.
On the high school level, Frisco, Lone Star, Reedy, Memorial and Wakeland are included in the proposed changes. Both Lone Star and Reedy have 2022 projected enrollments exceeding 2,400 students without rezoning. Reedy also risks passing the University Interscholastic League cutoff for 5A schools without an adjustment.
Panther Creek High School, which is expected to open in the fall of 2022 with students in ninth, 10th and 11th grades, will pull from the current Lone Star and Memorial zones.
Some neighborhoods of Frisco High School would be rezoned to Wakeland under the proposal. The change would impact incoming ninth- and 10th-grade students in addition to future classes. Incoming juniors and seniors would not be affected.
Any family that would be affected by the proposed changes will receive communication from the district on Oct. 13.
Rezoning takes place in a three-meeting process. On Oct. 25, the board will accept input from the community. On Nov. 8, the zones will be finalized.
Community members may submit questions or comments in the meantime by emailing [email protected] or calling 469-633-6031.
Maps and more information can be found on the district website.
