PLANO (1080 KRLD)- Plano ISD is expecting enrollment to drop over the next ten years, and the district is starting to look ahead.
The district looked at demographers' projections for enrollment this week. Now, Plano ISD has 20,728 elementary school students, 10,448 middle school students and 14,723 high school students, totalling 45,897. In ten years, the district is projected to have 20,425 elementary school students, 9,331 middle school students and 11,949 high school students, totalling 41,605.
"We want to make sure we are prioritizing our academic programs so all of our students can actually be supported," says Deputy Superintendent Johnny Hill. "One of the ways we want to do that is through the facilities we're able to offer."
Hill says schools in the western part of the city have the fewest open seats and also the most bilingual students, so Plano ISD can use the information to plan transportation and programming needs rather than just focusing on closing schools.
"We need to know what the trends are," he says. "We need to keep up every year on whether the trends are holding true, or are there some deviations?"
Hill cautions projections become less accurate more than five years out, so Plano ISD should consider that in developing a long-term plan.
This summer, the school board voted to close two elementary and two middle schools at the end of this school year. Even with the closures, Hill says Plano ISD will likely begin the 2025-2026 school year with 16,000 open seats.
According to the district - Plano ISD has around 650 additional students enrolled in district-wide campuses and programs, including Plano ISD Academy High School, Solomon Adult Transition Center, Head Start and the Guinn Special Programs Center.
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