Following in its steps on Feb. 13 to address student population overflow at some of its schools, the Fort Bend ISD board of trustees agreed to move forward with a plan to shift the attendance boundaries of two more schools during the board’s Feb. 27 special meeting. The two Missouri City high schools of Ridge Point High School and Hightower High School are over capacity, spurring the need to rezone students to alternative schools.
The adopted Option E boundary slices portions out of map section 258E and moves map section 245A into the Almeta Crawford High School boundary, according to information provided by FBISD staff during the meeting.
FBISD officials clarified in a Feb. 28 interview that planning district 258E is located in Sienna, in the Mount Logan neighborhood. Officials noted in the interview that there is a definite "natural physical feature" that divides the neighborhood, which is located in section 258E.
Almeta Crawford High School is a new high school for FBISD in Rosharon that was originally slated to open for the 2022-23 school year, but was delayed due to construction setbacks. Option E enables Almeta Crawford High School to begin the 2023-24 school year with a student population of more than 500, staff said.
As of the 2022-23 school year, Ridge Point High School sits 25% over enrollment capacity; at 3,172 students, the school is 639 students over the school’s projected 2,533 student capacity, staff documents showed at the Feb. 27 meeting.
As a result, nearby Hightower High School receives 416 students from Ridge Point High School in population overflow. This increase in student load is projected to cost $233,000 in additional transportation costs due to overpopulation at Ridge Point High School, staff said during a Feb. 24 community meeting.
The change will result in some students now having to utilize buses or cars to attend Ridge Point High School; prior to the change, all Ridge Point High School students lived in walking distance, district officials said.
The change will also result in the creation of six new feeder splits, which the district defines as the division of two or more schools in transition to the next grade level, such as middle and high schoolers, and elementary and middle schoolers.
To alleviate strain on Ridge Point High School, the front portion of map section 258E will continue to attend Ridge Point High School, but the back portion of the district will now attend Almeta Crawford High School. This is in addition to the above recommendation that map portion 245A will also move into the Almeta Crawford High School.
The motion passed 6-1 with Trustee Angie Hanan in opposition.
A map of the school's zoning districts may be found here, and residents can input their address to find their school zone here.
Changes to the schools' attendance areas will take effect for the 2023-24 school year.
