Attendance Boundary Process
The Conroe Independent School District (CISD) continues to be one of the fastest growing school districts in Texas. In a school district growing as rapidly as CISD, it periodically becomes necessary to redraw the attendance boundaries of our schools. The two most frequent reasons for revisiting the boundaries of campuses are to accommodate the opening of new schools to meet the demands of our growing population, and to accommodate shifts/growth in populations that occur over time. CISD establishes an Attendance Boundary Committee (ABC) comprised of central administration, campus principals from the schools most likely to be impacted by any changes, and parent representatives selected by those campus principals for the purpose of developing and proposing possible zoning scenarios to the community for feedback. These scenarios are then refined based on that feedback and recommended as a zoning plan to the Board of Trustees.
Zoning Goals and Considerations
The following goals are used as a guide during the district’s zoning process:
- To be mindful that providing for the education and welfare of all students is our mission.
- To draw attendance boundaries which support the efficient and effective use of school facilities and resources, while maintaining our fiscal responsibility to the public.
- To plan and allow for future growth through zoning of the existing and new campuses.
- To reduce the enrollment at overcrowded campuses.
- To communicate information about possible zoning changes to families that may be impacted and to give everyone an opportunity to provide feedback through community meetings, the district website, and in writing.
- To establish an ABC that will develop proposed attendance boundary scenarios, will present the scenarios for input at community meetings, and will develop a recommended zoning plan for the Board of Trustees.
Many considerations are given during the process. Possible considerations for the ABC, in no particular order, include:
- capacity of campuses
- community input
- demographic factors
- feeder pattern and school history
- geographical proximity
- location of existing neighborhoods and communities
- locations of natural or other boundaries such as major thoroughfares, freeways, railroad tracks, bodies of water, etc.
- minimizing the impact on families
- number of times the area has been recently rezoned or likely be rezoned in the future
- possible location of future schools
- projected future enrollment for campuses and,
- transportation patterns and considerations such as walking, busing, etc.