The decline is due to limited future development and housing options for families with children and an over 300-student disparity between the 2024-25 graduating class and the 2024-25 kindergarten class, said Zonda Education demographer, Rocky Gardiner at a Dec. 9 meeting. The district has about 1,036 seniors and 711 kindergarten students.
“Statewide we have a kindergarten challenge; it's not just Coppell, it's happening everywhere,” Gardiner said.
The details
CISD enrollment for the 2024-25 school year was 13,209 and could fall to 13,049 by next year, Gardiner said. In recent years, demographers have seen a shift toward homeschooling and charter and private schools that are also contributing to enrollment decline, he added.
Using the state funding formula at $6,160 per student, the projected 1,970-student decline within the next decade would result in a funding loss of over $12 million. This could put further financial strain on the district, which already faces inflation and deficit budgets that led to a school closure.
While Texas overall is seeing an influx of people moving to the state, Coppell is largely built out and reaching the limit of new developments. The higher average home price also means many times people settling in Coppell as a final destination rather than selling their homes once their students matriculate, Gardiner said. This limits housing turnover and the number of new families that could move to the district which exacerbates the enrollment decline.
More details
Additionally, there are only a few small pockets left within Coppell that can be developed and not all can accommodate single family housing, Gardiner said. Over 60 lots are being developed in a neighborhood east of Lakeside Elementary by developer Holmes Builders. This is the biggest future development that could bring in more students and one home is currently under construction.
“We also have the Villas of Southwestern with seven lots and 29 future lots off Denton Tap road, but that’s going to [produce] a whole lot of students. We don’t have a lot of growth right now from a residential perspective,” he said.
There are around 7,400 future apartment housing in various stages across the district, but Gardiner said he expects these to be a higher end product with not many 2-3 bedroom options, which families with children would need.
Going forward
The district has bolstered its marketing efforts to help attract more families to the district, Superintendent Brad Hunt said. Staff are also working on boundary adjustment and rezoning plan as a result of Pinkerton Elementary’s closure and the consolidation of school programs.
According to district documents, the board will consider approval of rezoning plans Feb. 24 and the decisions will take effect in the 2025-26 school year. The board will discuss the issue at three meetings between Dec. 9 and Feb. 24 and could add an action item to make a decision at any of those meetings should they come to a consensus at an earlier date.
“Small elementaries impact middle schools. Whether or not we need a ninth grade campus anymore, Coppell High School, New Tech, all of our options, we will have to look at that long term,” Hunt said.
