Houston ISD enrollment down 32,500 students since pandemic

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- More than half of Houston Independent School District campuses have fewer students enrolled this year as the district continues to experience enrollment declines.

During the first week of this school year, there were 177,524 students enrolled, which is 6.5% fewer students than the 189,934 who were enrolled last year, according to HISD and state data.

In Texas, the amount of funding a district receives is based on student enrollment and attendance. It's usually between $5,000 to $6,000 per student. That means the 12,410 enrollment decline this year equates to a state funding loss of at least $62 million for HISD.

Enrollment at HISD has been declining for years, with 32,500 fewer students now compared to when the pandemic hit during the 2019-2020 school year.

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Houston's not alone in its struggle to keep students. Other districts across the state, like San Antonio and Plano independent school districts, are considering closing campuses due to the drop off in students, according to the Texas Tribune.

SEE ALSO: Houston ISD faces $60M deficit as enrollment declines by 20,000

Last month, HISD reassured parents and educators that, "there are no plans to close or merge any HISD schools during the school year."

But, months before the state takeover of HISD, the district told us closures could be possible in the years to come.

Michael Love, the executive officer of HISD's Innovation and Strategic Initiatives, told 13 Investigates in February that there are some neighborhoods where the "student population is no longer there."

"We have the reality, we have to make cuts. There are going to be cuts along the line as far as financially. It's just based on enrollment and enrollment drives our funding," Love said in February. "With that, we do have schools who are looking at less than 200 students in some campuses. Now, that's usually at the elementary level, so we're looking at what's going to be best suited. Do we convert that to a center for newcomers? Do we look at maybe making that a campus-wide early childhood center? And those are the discussions we're going to start having with our community and stakeholders to see what's going to be best suited for that specific community."

He attributed the enrollment drop to the pandemic, charter schools and declining birth rates.

13 Investigates found during the first week of this school year, some HISD campuses saw hundreds fewer students than previous years.

Las Americas Middle School, which caters to immigrant and refugee students, saw a 68 percent enrollment drop and started the year with just 74 students compared to 230 students last year.

Shadowbriar Elementary School in West Houston saw a 37% decline in enrollment, with 180 fewer students this year.

INTERACTIVE: Want to know if enrollment is up or down at your child's Houston school? Search your campus on the map below. Red dots indicate campuses with fewer students enrolled this year and blue dots have more students enrolled On mobile device? Click here for a full screen experience.

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