Boerne ISD Board of Trustees on May 12 discussed future district growth and where potential facility needs will arise over the next ten years.

The overview

During the meeting, trustees reviewed reduced enrollment projections over the next 10 years to see which campuses may reach capacity.

Overall, district staff said enrollment is expected to decrease slightly over the next year, due to fewer elementary students enrolling and the completion of charter schools in the area.

However, campuses across the district are expected to reach full capacity within the next 10 years, meaning district leaders will need to look into expanding campuses or alternative solutions to make room for students.

Projections show a large portion of growth on the western side of the city, which puts additional students at Viola Wilson and the middle schools on the northern and western sides of the city.

Of the elementary schools across the district, Fabra is the first anticipated to reach capacity, reaching 100% of its capacity by 2028-29. The campus is expected to exceed 120% capacity by 2031-32. Herff, Kendall and Viola Wilson are all expected to reach capacity over the next ten years.

For middle schools, both Boerne middle schools are expected to reach capacity by 2027-28, while Voss is not anticipated to reach its capacity within the next decade.

The capacity across all three middle schools is not expected to reach 100% until 2033-24, meaning the district has the opportunity to revisit feeder patterns or utilize other methods to spread middle school students across the district.

As part of this discussion, trustees and staff mentioned the limitations of the space at Boerne Middle School North, which could lead to repurposing the campus and building a new middle school in the future.

No decision on middle school uses was made during the meeting, but these preliminary discussions help plan for the eventual need for more middle school space.

For high schools, Champion is expected to reach capacity around 2030-31, while Boerne High School is expected to reach capacity around 2033-34. These capacity projections incorporate the recent expansion projects at each school.

With these projections, there is no immediate need for a third high school, and that need will be pushed back further if district facilities are repurposed for capacity.