Humble ISD trustees received an overview of the district’s open enrollment program for students living outside HISD’s boundaries during the June 9 board meeting.
The details
HISD Director of Public Communications Jonathan Frey said the program, which was rolled out by the district in April 2024, allows students living outside of HISD’s boundaries to apply to attend select campuses throughout the district.
Frey said the program was created to combat enrollment loss, which he said can largely be attributed to declining birthrates and expanded access to private and charter schools.
A closer look
During the 2025-26 school year, Frey said the district welcomed 2,718 kindergartners while sending off 3,460 graduating seniors.
“As our seniors graduate, we don’t have as many kindergartners replacing them,” Frey said. “That’s why we must be proactive in maintaining student enrollment to protect the funding that supports everything our schools offer.”
Frey said the district has seen an uptick in open enrollment applications since the program began, noting 118 student applications were approved during the 2024-25 school and 225 applications were approved during the 2025-26 school year.
Frey added the district has made the enrollment process easier this year by removing an application fee and opening more campuses to open enrollment.
Since April, Frey said 480 students have applied to attend HISD in the 2026-27 school year. Out of those 480 students, Frey said 266 applications have been accepted, 120 are pending and 50 have been denied.
Also of note
Frey said the district is trying to create more awareness about the program through increased advertising. For the 2026-27 school year, he said the district will spend roughly $25,000 on marketing efforts for the program.
“You might be thinking, ‘Isn’t this kind of expensive?’” Frey said. “Considering each student generated a little over $11,000 for the district, the district more than covers marketing costs if just three students enroll.”
Frey noted the revenue brought in from students enrolling from outside the district generated more than $2.5 million during the 2025-26 school year.
“Those dollars help sustain staffing and programs that benefit all students,” Frey said.
Get involved
More information about HISD’s out-of-district open enrollment program, including a list of participating campuses, can be found on the district’s limited open enrollment website.
