At the Dec. 1 agenda review meeting, officials said the initial phase will affect only elementary campuses, with trustees raising concerns that postponing middle and high school adjustments will prolong uncertainty for families.
However, board President Kristin Tassin said the district’s size makes a single, systemwide overhaul unrealistic.
"You've got to be able to manage that change in increments," she said. “This process has been about as good as it could possibly be.”
The gist
Recent lower-than-projected enrollment figures from the district’s external demographer, Population and Survey Analyst, is driving the need to rebalance attendance zones and consider consolidating under-utilized campuses—primarily at the elementary level, said Beth Martinez, deputy superintendent chief of staff.
In June, PASA estimates showed only 24% of the district’s 78 campuses are at ideal capacity for the 2025-26 school year. Meanwhile, 42 campuses—mostly on the east side of the district— are undercapacity, and 17—mostly near high-growth Harvest Green and Sienna neighborhoods—are overcapacity.
Once one of the “fastest-growing districts” in Texas, FBISD is now entering a period of enrollment stabilization following statewide trends, including the rise of homeschooling, charter schools and private school options, Martinez said.
“We have to undergo this work so that we can balance enrollment across the district, utilize the available space, and maximize how we use our resources,” she said.
What they’re saying
Several board members echoed parents during public comment, urging the administration to show clearly why certain boundary scenarios are being recommended and why alternatives were not advanced.
“This is going to be a very big grieving process for the community,” trustee Angie Hanan said. “We have to respect them in a way that we really try to outline why these are the ones that were landed on, and why not others.”
Moving forward
The district will release a recorded webinar Dec. 4 summarizing recent community feedback from more than 1,100 survey respondents, Martinez said.
The first draft of proposed elementary boundary scenarios will be presented Dec. 15, including:
- Elementary attendance zone adjustments from the Austin, Bush, Crawford, Elkins, Kempner, Hightower, Ridge Point and Travis high school feeder patterns
- Possible elementary school consolidations
- A new attendance boundary for the opening of Amy Coleman Middle School
Final recommendations are scheduled to go before the board in March, with district-wide communication and implementation planning to begin immediately after board action.
