Two pieces of undeveloped land within Humble ISD's boundaries will now be zoned to Autumn Creek and Groves elementary schools, following unanimous approval by the district's board of trustees May 9.

How we got here: In preparation for the upcoming 2023-24 school year, HISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said district officials are evaluating the zoning of undeveloped land that is earmarked for future residential development to ensure HISD schools can handle projected changes in student enrollment.

Quote of note: "Because we're a fast-growth district, we're constantly looking at potential land pieces that have not been developed, where no one lives, and making sure that they are appropriately zoned because when people go to purchase land or move into an apartment, we want them to know for sure where their children would be going and not be disappointed because we then move it around," Fagen said during the May 9 board meeting.

Sorting out the details: The first parcel of undeveloped land is located northeast of the intersection of Beltway 8 and Lockwood Drive. The elementary zoning changes can be viewed here, while the middle school zoning changes can be viewed here. This parcel is labeled 15X.

According to district officials, the parcel:According to supporting agenda documents, demographic consulting firm Population and Survey Analysts projects this parcel to:
  • Yield 122 students in grades K-12 over the next decade, including approximately 55 elementary and 30 middle school students
  • Have its first residential units occupied by this summer or fall
The second parcel of undeveloped land is located northwest of the intersection of Madera Run Parkway and Woodland Hills Drive. The elementary zoning changes can be viewed here, while the middle school zoning changes can be viewed here. This parcel is labeled 15Y.


According to district officials, the parcel:According to supporting agenda documents, this parcel is located in The Groves master-planned community. The parcel was previously zoned for commercial use, but has since been changed to residential use.

PASA projects this parcel will:
  • Yield 88 students in grades K-12 over the next decade
  • Have its first residential units occupied by this summer or fall
Put in perspective: During the May 9 board meeting, Position 2 Trustee Robert Scarfo raised concerns regarding future overcrowding as a result of the rezoning. However, Fagen said data from PASA shows the affected campuses will be capable of handling the projected enrollment changes. Fagen noted Autumn Creek Elementary School is one of the district's lower-enrolled campuses, while Ridge Creek Elementary School is one of the district's higher-enrolled campuses, meaning the rezoning should help even out enrollment between the two campuses.

"Temporary buildings are always a possibility in a growing neighborhood because districts that don't use temporary buildings, they build for peak enrollment and then what ultimately happens is what we call 'plateau enrollment,' and then you end up with tons of vacant space in a school, and excess capacity is very expensive," Fagen said. "So we prefer to build to plateau [enrollment] and manage peak [enrollment]. ... We do that and we do it kind of intentionally so that we're maximizing our resources across the district and not overbuilding.

What's next: District officials noted HISD's next PASA report is set to begin in August and is scheduled to be presented to trustees in November.