Conroe Courier October 20, 2023

Magnolia ISD unveiled its first round of changes to elementary school attendance boundaries for the 2024-25 school year as it prepares to open a new elementary campus.

Whenever a new school opens, the district evaluates its attendance boundaries to balance enrollment, according to a release by the district.

Audubon Elementary School is expected to open its doors in August.

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The last time the district changed its boundaries was in 2005 with the opening of Ellisor Elementary, the release states. 

“(Nearly) 20 years ago, when things were happening, we weren’t building all these schools,” said Magnolia ISD Spokeswoman Denise Meyers.

The new Audubon subdivision is projected to bring a total of 6,140 lots, according to a map provided by the district.

For every 100 homes, the district is expected to enroll 56 students, said Deanie Murry, long-range planning coordinator for the district. Based off this, roughly 3,400 students are projected to live in the subdivision. 

Another example of growth is the Woodard Ranch subdivision, which is projected to have a total of 11,400 home lots.

Most Magnolia ISD elementary schools have a capacity of 900 students, the district’s release states. 

The district began taking feedback from parents in September to see what concerns they had when it came to the boundary changes. This included student population and commute time as some of the concerns, according to the district’s website. 

The district released a proposed map based off that feedback in October. 

Here’s what to know about the expected changes at the district:

What neighborhoods are affected by the boundary changes?

Most of the changes will affect students that are enrolled in Magnolia Parkway and Magnolia Elementary schools due to the opening of Audubon Elementary School, Murry said. 

The new elementary school is projected to start off with more than 500 students, according to data provided by the district. 

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The district redrew the boundary for Williams Elementary School to avoid busses having to cross the railroad tracks around FM 1488 and FM 1774, Murry said.

Due to the changes, some students in Magnolia Elementary School are expected to move to Williams Elementary School and vice versa, she said. 

Some students at Nichols Sawmill Elementary and Ellisor Elementary are expected to be zoned to different elementary schools for balancing, Murry said. 

“We have 5,600 elementary kids,” Meyers said. “In a perfect world…you’re talking 622 kids at each elementary (school).”

Can students affected by the changes stay at their current school?

Some parents took to social media about the recent proposed changes, voicing concerns about whether their child would be required to change schools. 

Meyers said the district will be opening up a transfer process in the spring for students who want to stay at the elementary school where they are currently enrolled. Parents will have to provide transportation for the student, she said. 

“As long as mom and dad can provide that, then we encourage them to submit the transfer request,” Meyers said. 

What is the timeline for the boundary changes? 

The district will continue to receive feedback from parents until Nov. 1, Meyers said. Officials then will go through the feedback and make adjustments to the map based on the feedback, she said. 

Officials will present the map to the district’s board during a Nov. 13 meeting and return to the board on Dec. 11 for approval, she said. 

“We do understand that change is hard,” Meyers said. “We’re trying to make this as easy as possible. We understand we are not going to please everyone, but we are trying to do what’s best for our kids, and what’s best for our teachers and staff.” 

The district is expected to go through the same process next year for the new intermediate and junior high schools anticipated to open for the 2025-26 school year. 

For more information on the district’s elementary school boundary changes, visit magnoliaisd.org.