The final recommended attendance boundaries for Sonal Bhuchar Elementary School, located at 5503 Thompsons Ferry Road, Missouri City, were approved by the district’s board of trustees during its March 7 agenda review session. The elementary school is being built to address overcrowding concerns at Commonwealth Elementary School, FBISD officials said previously.
In a 7-0 vote, the board approved the boundaries, which are located in the area south of University Boulevard that is currently zoned to Commonwealth. In addition, the boundaries extend to the area northeast of LJ Parkway that is currently zoned to Sullivan Elementary School, as well as the portion of the Millwood subdivision south of LJ Parkway. The area south of Elkins High School that is part of Creekstone Village that is currently zoned to Austin Parkway Elementary School is now zoned to the new elementary school, as is the portion of Millwood located south of LJ Parkway, that additionally feeds into First Colony Middle School, according to agenda documents.
“That’s probably the first time in at least the last 10 years that we’ve ever had an attendance boundary change where we have not had speakers,” board Chair Dave Rosenthal said during the meeting. “So I think that would tell me our processes worked.”
The district’s school boundary oversight committee, a group of four representatives—parents and community members from each high school feeder pattern—started meeting Nov. 18 to review the original boundary recommendations. Since then, the recommendations have gone through an eight-step planning process involving public hearings and feedback, according to agenda documents.
Specifically, the elementary school is slated to open in January 2023 in the Riverstone community. The school will feed into First Colony and Elkins. The new elementary school has a capacity of 963 students and is expected to serve 780 students in 2023-24.
