Liberty Hill ISD acquires more land to prepare for future development

LHISD currently owns several undeveloped sites across the district that could serve as future elementary, middle or high schools.

This summer, the district purchased a nearly 20-acre property next to Liberty Hill High School to serve as a new agricultural barn, and purchased around 8.5 acres for a future agricultural facility next to the official Legacy Ranch High School campus, which will open in 2026.

The district’s ninth elementary school—opening in 2027 or 2028—may be located at a district-owned site in the Butler Farms master-planned community, Snell said.

Zooming out

LHISD regularly works with demographers, housing developers, the city of Liberty Hill, Williamson County and emergency service departments to determine where there is a need for a school and ensure the area has necessary infrastructure, including roads, electricity and water services, Snell said.

The district uses bonds to purchase land for future schools and facilities several years in advance of their projected opening as campuses take multiple years to design and build, and may require the passage of a bond election, he said.

“If there is buildable property that we see makes sense in the building zone, we try to buy it now at the lowest possible price point,” Snell said.

The district seeks to buy land in areas that are projected to experience future growth as the price of land can skyrocket once an area is developed, Snell said. LHISD has previously contracted land before receiving the funding to purchase it and is currently promised several sites that it does not yet own, he said.

“If you can get land in an area that's a future growth corridor, then not only do you have a school in the right location, but you bought it at yesterday's price, which is always beneficial to everybody,” Snell said.

Zooming in

LHISD looks to build elementary schools inside neighborhoods so families can walk or ride their bikes to school while middle and high schools are centrally located to accommodate feeder patterns from multiple campuses, Snell said.

Each type of school requires the following acreage, construction time and building capacity, he said.

Elementary schools

• Space needed: 12 acres
• Construction time: One year
• Capacity: 800-1,000 students

• Space needed: 30-40 acres
• Time to build: 1.5 to 2 years
• Capacity: 1,200-1,500 students

• Space needed: 80-100 acres
• Time to build: Two to three years
• Capacity: 2,500 students

The district is projected to opening the following campuses over the next 10 years; however, the timeline for each campus may be subject to change, Snell said:

• Elementary School No. 9 for the 2027-28 or 2028-29 school year
• Middle School No. 4 for the 2030-31 school year
• Elementary School No. 10 for the 2031-32 school year
• High School No. 3 for the 2032-33 school year
• Elementary School No. 11 for the 2033-34 school year