Fort Bend ISD families in the Elkins High School zone now have until the end of the month to weigh in on draft attendance boundary scenarios that could move hundreds of students to other campuses starting in the 2027-28 school year.

The district opened an online survey Tuesday, Aug. 18, with responses accepted through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30. The scenarios target overcrowding at Elkins, Austin and Travis high schools, all of which are projected to exceed design capacity this school year.

As we reported Aug. 5, the district signaled the survey was coming. Now the specific draft scenarios are public, and the numbers paint a clear picture of the squeeze at Elkins: the Missouri City campus is built for 2,540 students but is projected to enroll 2,872 this year, putting it at 113% of capacity. Without changes, the school would remain above 106% through 2030-31, according to an FBISD board presentation delivered Aug. 17.

What the draft scenarios propose

The School Boundary Advisory Committee's preferred high school scenario would send a portion of Elkins students to Clements High School, dropping Elkins to roughly 95% utilization by 2027-28. The same scenario would also move some Austin High School students to Travis and Clements. A second option under discussion would rezone Quail Valley Middle School students to Dulles High School and shift part of Elkins' zone to Clements.

The committee noted that Elkins is newer than Dulles and carries a better Facility Condition Index rating, a factor in the debate over which students move where.

Travis High School faces the steepest overcrowding at 115% of capacity, with approximately 650 students currently served in portable classrooms. Austin sits at 102%.

Middle school boundaries are also on the table. The draft middle school scenario proposes moving students currently zoned to Baines Middle School to Lake Olympia and Coleman middle schools, changes linked to the high school adjustments along the Highway 6 corridor.

How the committee got here

SBAC chair Monica Willis told the board Aug. 17 that the committee unanimously agreed Elkins needed relief but debated the degree and method of that relief. One option would send Elkins students to Clements; the other would also reroute Quail Valley students to Dulles.

The 27-member committee held five meetings plus make-up sessions between May and August and reached a majority vote on both a middle school and a high school draft scenario. FBISD has confirmed no schools will close.

How to respond

The survey is open to all community members at www.fortbendisd.gov/attendanceboundaries. FBISD staff and primary parents or guardians registered in Skyward will also receive a direct email link.

Deputy Superintendent Chief of Staff Beth Martinez said in the district's Aug. 18 press release that responses will be reviewed to help prepare final recommendations for board consideration.

Final boundary recommendations are expected in September or October, when the FBISD Board of Trustees will take them up for a vote.