With the development of communities, such as Harmony and Imperial Oaks located along the Rayford Road area, in conjunction with growth surrounding the Grand Parkway, the southeast area of Montgomery County has boomed in recent years, as more families move to the region.
“Conroe ISD is constantly evaluating the changes and growth across Montgomery County in order to effectively and efficiently plan to meet the needs of our students and community,” CISD Superintendent Curtis Null said.
Null said the district has a demographer who studies student enrollment patterns and housing trends and also works with an outside group, Population & Survey Analysts, that evaluates trends and provides information on potential areas for future growth.
Increasing capacity
The 2015 PASA report identified that Benders Landing, Benders Landing Estates, Imperial Oaks-The Falls, Harper’s Preserve and Harmony—all located in southeast Montgomery County—are expected to add over 4,100 new homes to the area by 2024, which would have a significant effect on student population.
“These demographic studies provide information to our Facilities Planning Committees and are instrumental in successful long-range planning for our fast-growth district,” Null said. “The most recent report from PASA was utilized by our 2015 Facilities Planning Committee in developing the proposal for the 2015 bond and eventual building of Grand Oaks High School and Clark Intermediate.”
Located at 4800 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring, GOHS will provide relief for Oak Ridge High School, CISD Director of Communications Sarah Blakelock said. At full capacity, GOHS will serve 3,100 students in grades 9-12.
According to CISD, students who live in the following areas will be zoned to GOHS: Benders Landing, Bristol Lakes, Creekside, Discovery Creek Apartments, The Falls, Fox Run, Harmony, Legends Ranch, Legends Ranch Estates, Legends Run, Legends Trace, Lockeridge Farms, Spring Creek Pines, Spring Trails, Woodson Reserve and Wrights Landing.
“The attendance boundary of Grand Oaks High School was previously part of the Oak Ridge High School feeder [pattern],” Blakelock said. “Last school year, Oak Ridge High School had an enrollment of over 4,300 students and relied on the use of 39 portable classrooms.”
Without portable classrooms, Blakelock said ORHS has a capacity of 3,650 students.
Blakelock said for the 2018-19 school year, GOHS will open with a projected enrollment of 1,200 ninth- and 10th- graders and will add approximately 750 students each year for the subsequent two years.
According to Blakelock, CISD buildings districtwide have a total capacity of 69,000 students. Blakelock also said CISD has grown by approximately 1,500 students each year for the past decade.
Clark Intermediate School, located at 4182 Trench Lane, Spring, will have a capacity of 1,000 fifth- and sixth-graders.
According to CISD, students who live in the following areas will be zoned to Clark Intermediate School: Benders Landing, Bristol Lakes, Creekside, The Falls, Legends Run, Legends Trace, Wrights Landing and Woodson Reserve.
“Clark Intermediate [School] will provide relief to Cox Intermediate [School], which served over 1,500 students utilizing 14 portable classrooms last year,” Blakelock said.
Clark Intermediate School is expected to open with more than 800 students for the 2018-19 school year, Blakelock said.
“As a district, we are excited for students and families to come together as a Grand Oaks feeder family,” she said.
