FAQs

The goal of Long-Range Boundary Planning is to balance enrollment across the District.  While some schools may experience shifts in enrollment, the District remains committed to maintaining class sizes that support effective teaching and learning.  Any changes will be carefully managed to align with staffing ratios and instructional standards.

In some cases, boundary adjustments may help reduce overcrowding at certain campuses, allowing for more consistent class sizes District-wide.  This can lead to improved access to instructional support, better use of facilities, and a more balanced distribution of resources all of which contribute to a stronger learning environment for students.

Even if a school is consolidated, Fort Bend ISD will continue to follow its established staffing ratio process to guide class sizes.  In accordance with Board Policy EEB(Legal), and Texas Education Code §25.112, districts must request an exception for any prekindergarten through fourth grade classrooms that exceed the 22-student limit.  

The Board must approve any recommendation of a request for Maximum Class Size Exception Waiver prior to the Administration submitting the request to the Texas Education Agency for final approval.

Transportation services will be provided for eligible students.  Eligibility is determined by the Transportation Department based on the distance a student lives from the assigned school, using the shortest route on public roads as calculated in the routing system.  For further questions, contact Transportation at Transport.Support@fortbendisd.gov. 

The Long-Range Boundary Planning process is working to balance enrollment across the District, which will relieve over-utilized campuses and decrease the need for portable buildings. 

Following Board approval to consolidate/close a campus, the District will begin a comprehensive evaluation process to determine the best path forward.  This process may include repurposing the site for District programs, leasing or selling the property if the Board deems it surplus, demolishing the building, or exploring other community-serving uses.

While it is difficult to predict exactly how families will respond to a school consolidation, the District remains committed to supporting every student through the transition.  The District's goal is to ensure that all students have a smooth transition to their new campus, with continued access to academic programs, extracurricular activities and support services.  We will work closely with families to address concerns and help students feel welcomed and successful in their new school environment.

Per Policy FC(Local), students affected by a previous boundary change while attending the same level (elementary, middle, high) are eligible for an intra-district transfer, but shall not be eligible for District-provided transportation.  

We understand that many families choose their homes based on school zoning and we deeply value the trust and investment that decision represents. School boundaries are established to reflect current enrollment patterns, facility capacity, and community needs.  As neighborhoods change over time, boundary adjustments may be necessary to balance enrollment across the District.  Long-Range Boundary Planning is designed to be thoughtful, data-informed, and community-engaged.  While changes can be difficult, they are made with the goal of supporting all students and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our schools.  The District is committed to transparency and will continue to involve families throughout the process.

Per Policy FC(Local), following Board approval of a new school or an adjusted attendance boundary, students shall attend school in the attendance zone in which he or she resides.

Exceptions to this general rule are as follows:

Elementary Schools: students entering grade 5 are eligible for an intradistrict transfer to remain at their current campus.  This provision does not apply to their siblings.  If the student entering grade 5 chooses to remain at their current campus, transportation shall not be provided by the District.

Middle Schools: students entering grade 8 are eligible for an intradistrict transfer to remain at their current campus.  This provision does not apply to their younger siblings.  If the student entering grade 8 chooses to remain at their current campus, transportation shall not be provided by the District.

On March 9, 2026, the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees approved the boundaries changes and information on how to request an intradistrict transfer will be communicated soon.

Yes. Your younger child enrolling in kindergarten will also attend Malala Elementary while repairs at Madden Elementary are in progress. Upon completion of the repairs, all students in households that were rezoned from Malala to Madden, will be required to attend Madden Elementary.

Campus consolidation does not automatically trigger an ARD meeting under IDEA. However, district teams have reviewed individual student needs and upcoming ARD schedules. Individual transition needs will be addressed at a student’s current campus with knowledgeable staff and parent through the ARD process, when appropriate, to ensure continuity of services.

IEP services follow the students' needs. FBISD has ensured that receiving campuses are prepared and equipped to implement the services outlined in the IEP. The District remains responsible for implementing each student’s IEP regardless of campus location.

Students receiving special education services have been assigned to attend campuses that have the capacity to implement each student’s IEP while keeping transportation time as limited as possible.

The District has considered staffing alignment and student needs when planning for receiving campuses to help maintain continuity of support for students.

Campus preview and orientation opportunities will be scheduled for all new school communities. Campuses and special education teams will also plan transition supports for students who may need additional preparation to adjust to a new campus environment (e.g., personalized campus visits, social stories, visual schedules, transition meetings with staff, etc.).

Students who participate in the Bilingual Program and receive special education services will continue to receive all required programming and supports at their new campus location.

IEP services follow the students' needs. FBISD will ensure that receiving campuses are prepared and equipped to implement the services outlined in the IEP. The District remains responsible for implementing each student’s IEP regardless of campus location.

Transportation services outlined in a student’s IEP will continue to be provided with routes adjusted to receiving campuses. Routes will be communicated to families by the Transportation Department in early August, consistent with past practice.

The District is committed to full compliance with IDEA and state special education requirements. The special education department has reviewed students receiving specialized services and projected placements to ensure each student is as close to their home campus as possible.

The District has reviewed student needs individually and will align staffing and program supports at receiving campuses to ensure trained special education staff and related service providers are in place to implement each student’s IEP. District specialists and program managers will also provide training and ongoing support.

Visit fortbendisd.gov/attendanceboundaries for updates, including videos and opportunities to participate. Contact us through Let’s Connect, which ensures your message is routed to the appropriate team for a timely response. You can also email us directly at boundaryplanning@fortbendisd.gov. 

Fort Bend ISD will continue to use multiple communication channels to keep families, staff, and community members informed throughout the process.  These include:

• Emails to parents and staff
• District website and Boundary Planning webpage
• Social media
• Board Meeting updates

While rezoning is necessary due to declining enrollment and limited state funding, which have significantly stretched our resources, community feedback remains a critical part of the process.

Although input may not prevent rezoning or consolidation, it plays a meaningful role in shaping the discussions, informing decision-makers, and guiding the multiple layers of review that influence final outcomes. Your voice helps ensure that the process is thoughtful, transparent, and responsive to the needs and values of those it impacts. 

We welcome your feedback and concerns. The best way to share them is through Let’s Connect, which ensures your message is routed to the appropriate team for a timely response. You can also email us directly at boundaryplanning@fortbendisd.gov. 

Cap and overflow occurs when a campus is highly utilized and needs relief prior to an attendance boundary adjustment. During cap and overflow new students are directed to attend a nearby school or schools that have available space. 

No. Siblings are not automatically allowed to join older siblings who remain at their current school after rezoning.  In alignment with Board Policy FC(Local), only students in specific grade levels (5th, 8th, and 10th-12th) may request to remain at their current campus.  Younger siblings will be required to attend the newly zoned school.

Special Circumstance Transfers are based on specific criteria and transportation is not provided.  Please see the Student Affairs webpage for further information.   

All staff may visit the Human Resources SharePoint for FAQ's regarding staff impacts.  

Campus Staffing is a critical component of the school consolidation process. As we emphasize People throughout this Process, we are committed to being clear and transparent about what staff members can expect.

Our priority is to take care of our current FBISD family first. Staff members impacted by a school consolidation will be placed before any new hires are considered.

It’s important to remember that even when a school is affected by consolidation, there will continue to be a need for staff to support students at their new campuses. Positions will be filled based on an employee’s contract, certification, and overall fit.

The District will also continue to implement the annual transfer process, just as we have in previous years. The transfer window is expected to open in the spring.

To balance enrollment, support student needs and programs, and use District resources responsibly as enrollment patterns and academic needs change.

It begins with a demography study and boundary planner assessment.  Scenarios are reviewed by district administration and a multi-departmental core team.  Then, the School Boundary Advisory Committee (SBAC) provides feedback and asks clarifying questions.  Community input is gathered before final recommendations are presented to the Board for approval.

The boundary planning follows District policy (Policy FC(Local).  This policy puts students first and includes decision principles such as community integrity, safe walking distances*, equal access to programs, and with the least disruption as possible. 

*where feasible and practical

The SBAC is a group of community members representing each feeder pattern who advise the District from an approach that puts the students first and operates through a District-wide lens.  Members are selected through the Central Application Process.  They review data, ask questions, and provide feedback to ensure recommendations reflect community values and student needs.

Per FC(Local), the SBAC is composed of individuals representing parents and/or community members from each high school feeder pattern area.  Membership selection is determined through an application process utilizing a fair and equitable process involving cross-departmental administration review.

There are many parts to consider with boundary planning: enrollment estimates, the condition of buildings, transportation, academic programs, financial impact, and community feedback.  It's a multi-layered process that requires careful analysis and collaboration.

Yes. Fort Bend ISD works with an external demographer who assesses all residential areas including single-family homes, multi-family complexes, and other parcels of land.

Transportation is factored in, including drive time, walk zones, number of buses and anticipated transportation costs.

School performance is one of several factors the District reviews when evaluating campuses for potential consolidation.  However, Long-Range Boundary Planning is a comprehensive process that considers a wide range of data points, including:

• Facility condition and age
• Enrollment trends and building utilization
• Proximity to other campuses for efficient boundary adjustments
• Operational costs
• Access to programs and services

While academic performance is important, consolidation decisions are not based solely on test scores or ratings.  The District's goal is to ensure all students have access to high-quality learning environments, and any changes are made with careful consideration of both educational and operational impacts.

For neighborhoods without new housing construction, the demographer looks closely at recent trends in student enrollment.  It doesn't matter if homes are sold to new families, rented out, or stay with the same owners; they track whether the number of students in that area is going up, going down, or staying the same each year.  Then, they use those patterns to predict future enrollment.  This way, the projections naturally reflect changes like more rentals, families moving in, or new parents with school-aged kids.

Neighborhood subdivisions are defined areas with divided plots of land that make up a community of homes.  Master-Planned communities are larger-scale, mixed-use residential developments.  These developments provide residents with amenities such as parks, playgrounds, tennis courts, commercial enterprises like stores and restaurants, office space, and multi-family residences.  Several neighborhood subdivisions are included within a master-planned community.  As stated in policy FC(Local), master-planned communities are not considered neighborhoods.

Policy FC(Local) guides the attendance boundary process through student-centered decision principles, such as community integrity, access to programs, and cost-effectiveness. While the planning process involves consideration of multiple factors when balancing enrollment, master-planned communities are not classified as neighborhoods within this framework and are not a specific consideration in boundary planning. The decision principles are applied, where feasible and practical, with the primary focus on meeting the educational needs of students across campuses. For more details, please refer to the full policy.

Planning units are geographical areas of residential developments based upon evenly distributed student population densities. Planning unit boundaries follow major roadways, natural features (creeks, etc.) and/or neighborhood boundaries.  Population and Survey Analysts (PASA) projection data is modeled by Planning Unit and then aggregated to form school-level enrollment projections and future school catchment areas that allow PASA to better create options for long-range facility planning.

A feeder pattern is where elementary and middle schools feed into a particular high school to ensure smooth transitions as they move from one level to the next. 

This year, the Long-Range Boundary Planning process was focused on balancing enrollment at the elementary level and the opening of Amy Coleman Middle School for the 2026-2027 school year. This included boundary adjustments and school closures to better align student populations with available facilities and resources.

While the initial schedule targeted specific feeder patterns for the first phase, the timeline and scope were refined based on updated data and community input. This is a multi-year process, and adjustments will continue as new information becomes available to ensure decisions meet student needs and operational goals.

Please Note: There will be no boundary recommendations made for high school at this time.

Transportation provides a Bus Route Locator to provide a specific attendance zone and bus route information for each home address. 

Should you have any questions, email Transport.Support@fortbendisd.gov 

The District is working with Zonda, the external boundary planner. For any boundary-related questions, please contact the district through Let’s Connect, which ensures your message is routed to the appropriate team for a timely response. You can also email us directly at boundaryplanning@fortbendisd.gov. 

The 2024 Demographic Study is conducted by Population and Survey Analysts and can be found here. 

PASA has developed a model that incorporates numerous factors and the impact of those factors on projections.  For example, new housing is included in projections based on when homes are expected to be built, sold, and occupied, with adjustments for potential delays due to economic conditions, labor shortages, or changes in developer plans.  The number of students projected to occupy those new homes is based on student yield rates, which are derived by looking at comparable ratios in other comparable neighborhoods.  On the other hand, alternative educational opportunities (charters, private, etc.) are factored into projections based on past enrollment shifts and anticipated new options in the district.  PASA incorporates each factor differently based on years of research and the best information available collected at the time of the study.

The Enrollment Forecast reflects the most likely scenario based on the best available information at the time of the study.  PASA Demographic Studies rely on assumptions about the district’s housing market and economic conditions, analyzing how these factors influence student enrollment trends. Additionally, the forecast also considers variables such as the availability of alternative educational opportunities, birth trends, kindergarten enrollment patterns, and cohort size as students move through the grade levels, to name a few.  Because these factors are constantly evolving, PASA approaches each study with a fresh perspective – ensuring that projections are based on current data rather than influenced by past forecasts.

FBISD works with outside experts who help study enrollment trends and boundaries. These experts use trusted methods and local information to guide the process. Their work is informed by best practices and is shared with district leadership, the School Boundary Advisory Committee (SBAC), and the Board to support transparency and informed decision-making.