The plan to adjust Spring ISD’s high school boundaries will remain on hold during the 2021-22 school year as the district evaluates the impact of the pandemic on enrollment. 

The planned changes were first put on hold last February so that the district’s three comprehensive high schools could focus their efforts on a successful opening of their ninth-grade centers. At the same time, administrators wanted to gather additional community input and further assess demographic trends, as well as the programs being offered at the different high schools to ensure access and equity. 

The decision to extend the high school attendance boundary hold was announced at the Thursday work session of the Board of Trustees, which also heard an overview of the district’s current budget and enrollment trends in light of the pandemic.

To date, the district’s enrollment is about five percent lower — or 1,600 fewer students — than what was projected. Chief Financial Officer Ann Westbrooks said districts across the nation, as well as Texas and the Houston area, are experiencing similar enrollment declines amid the pandemic.

She noted that at present it’s not entirely clear how many of these students may return next school year and need to be accommodated on district campuses.

Executive Chief of District Operations Mark Miranda said that in light of the current uncertainty with enrollment levels, it would be premature to implement the planned attendance boundary changes, which were designed to help level out enrollment levels. 

Despite the hold on the planned high school boundary changes, high school choice applications are proceeding on their normal timeline. Next year’s ninth graders who want to attend a speciality school or program still have this option. The school of choice application window is now open through Dec. 18. For  more information on applying to a high school speciality program, please visit www.springisd.org/choice. 

Additionally, students who want to attend a campus other than their zoned campus, can also apply for a school transfer. The transfer window typically opens up in March, when families are able to put in a request for a different school. 

More information about the hold can be found on the district’s website at www.springisd.org/attendanceboundaries . Families wishing to confirm their student’s assigned school should visit the district’s Infofinder i tool and type in their address. 

To make sure all questions and concerns are addressed, the district is encouraging families to submit their questions via elevate, under the topic of high school boundaries. All submissions will receive a response.