Alvin ISD is planning ahead for the expected growth due to master-planned communities in the Pearland area.
The school district owns sites in each of the upcoming master-planned communities, including Meridiana—developed by Rise Communities, Pomona—developed by Hilltop Communities, and the LGI Homes development Sterling Lakes.
First to be built will be an 800-student elementary school in the Meridiana development, said Daniel Combs, AISD director of communications. The design on the project began in August 2014. The school is being funded using the $212.45 million bond that passed in the 2013 election.
"We do have a school site that we are currently working through the site-specific architectural design to move forward under a timeline that would allow us to open that campus for the 2016–17 school year," he said.
Combs said the district has become accustomed to growth as AISD has worked to keep up with the explosion in the student population each year.
"Our district is growing by more than a thousand new students each year," Combs said. "When you kind of try to quantify that, we build our junior high schools for a thousand students, so every year, we need the equivalent of the new capacity of a junior high school."
The Dr. James Red Duke Elementary School opened at the start of the 2014–15 school year while Manvel Junior High School will open in the 2015–16 school year. For the 2016–17 school year, AISD plans to open both Meridiana Elementary School and Shadow Creek High School.
Alvin ISD initially considered building a school in the Sterling Lakes master-planned community first, Combs said. However, obstacles led to an uncertain timetable and a concern about the amount of existing infrastructure.
"What we had to really do was look at the areas where our current campuses are over capacity already, and then look at where new homes are going to be built in the near future," Combs said. "Meridiana is going to contribute significantly to some of our current elementary schools that are already overcapacity."
The enrollment for both Savannah Lakes and Don Jeter elementary schools are already over capacity. Both schools were built for 800 students. Savananah Lakes enrollment was 891 as of Jan. 9, while Don Jeter's enrollment was 830.
"They'll bust at the seams when that development gets up and running," Combs said.
The Meridiana development—which is projected to include more than 5,000 homes—is expected to have some homes open by the 2016–17 school year, Combs said. AISD will likely need more elementary schools in the future in that area.
Rise Communities was not ready to release details about Meridiana at press time. However, Combs said Rise Communities has already donated the land for the elementary school to the district.
The Meridiana and Sterling Lakes developers are building an overpass between the two communities. It is projected to be open before the 2016–17 school year. That overpass will help provide access to the new Meridiana Elementary School, Combs said.
AISD also has plans for Pomona. The district owns sites for elementary and junior high schools in the development.
"We are working with the developers of Pomona," Combs said. "We know that will be a significant development in our school district, and we're working on making plans to serve the needs of the families that will move into Pomona."
The district had no definite timeline for the school sites in Pomona and Sterling Lakes at press time.
