Lewisville ISD full-day pre-K classes are reaching capacity

Lewisville ISD’s 50 full-day pre-K classes are reaching capacity, while half-day classes still have vacancies, according to district documents.

The district currently has 1,192 total students enrolled in pre-K and has the capacity to enroll about 1,452 more, mostly in half-day sessions, according to the district.

This is an increase from last year, when enrollment was 952 students. Before the pandemic, Lewisville had 1,650 students enrolled during the 2019-2020 school year, and 1,652 students the school year before, according to district documents.

According to state law, Lewisville ISD must offer full-day pre-K classes if it identifies at least 15 students who are at least 4 years of age and are eligible. Students are considered eligible if they are unable to speak and comprehend English, are educationally disadvantaged, are or ever have been in foster care or are homeless. Also eligible are children of active duty members of the armed forces, children whose parent has been killed or injured during active service or dependents of the Star of Texas recipients, according to district documents.

The district can offer half-day and full-day pre-K for free to eligible students, though full-day classes are limited and offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. Tuition-based pre-K is offered to non-eligible students for both half- and full-day classes.

House Bill 3, which became state law in 2019, requires schools to provide full-day pre-K to all eligible students. LISD received a waiver from the state to continue to allow half-day classes to eligible students until 2022. The district plans to apply for another waiver for full-day implementation to extend to 2025, according to the district.