As students in Fort Bend ISD return to classroom Aug. 11 followed by Lamar CISD students Aug. 23, Community Impact Newspaper took a closer look at student enrollment and demographic information as well staffing statistics and the effects of COVID-19 on education.
FBISD employed about 10,700 staff members in the 2020-21 school year, nearly half of which were full-time teachers. The district served 76,735 students across its 77 campuses and is projecting a 3.9% enrollment increase for the 2021-22 school year.
With 45 campuses, LCISD has schools throughout Fort Bend County, including a small portion of Sugar Land. In 2020-21, the district's approximately 36,519 students were served by 2,299 teachers.
Student enrollment
While FBISD saw a dip in overall enrollment in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the district is expected to add approximately 3,000 students in 2021-22. This will represent a 4.7% increase from the 2018-19 student enrollment.LCISD is also projecting a 2,652 student increase in enrollment in 2021-22, which marks a 17.12% increase from 2018-19.
2020-21 student statistics
Both FBISD and LCISD have a smaller percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged and English learners than the state average. In LCISD, 13.59% of students are served with special education services, which is higher than the state average.2021-22 student demographics
In FBISD, the largest student demographic groups are Asian, Black or African American, and Hispanic/Latino, with these students making up approximately 27% of the district's student body each. In LCISD, approximately 43% of students are Hispanic/Latino and 26% are white—more closely mirroring the statewide average.2020-21 staffing, salaries and substitutes
FBISD approved a $3,000 teacher salary increase for the 2021-22 year, bring starting teachers up to $58,500. Meanwhile, LCISD increased its starting teacher salary by $1,000 to $59,100.COVID-19's effect on education
As most students head back to the classroom for the 2021-22 school year, FBISD and LCISD are implementing a number of student safety strategies including optional face masks and continued cleaning protocols.FBISD announced it would offer virtual learning to a limited number of students in pre-K through sixth grade who are ineligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The following graph shows the percent of students in each district that learned online vs. in-person for each grading period in 2020-21.
