Published: March 27, 2008 07:11 pm            

Big things in store for Joshua schools

Student population expected to jump considerably

Joshua ISD might have significant changes coming in the next few years, according to a recent demographic report.

Larry Blair of School District Strategies presented a demographics report to the district’s school board Monday, saying trends indicate changes in the future of the district.

“The school district will continue to grow, with the rate of growth to accelerate beyond recent history,” according to the report. “Expansion within the sub-groups will be consistent with the recent past. Hispanic students will continue to increase at a faster rate than other sub-groups. Likewise, the percentage of children classified as Economically Disadvantaged will continue to increase at a pace greater than the overall student population.”

The report projects new housing communities in Joshua will add 232 students in the next two years and 621 students in the next five years.

“The majority of the district’s new student growth is projected to occur in the north central portion of the district,” according to the report. “As of the end of 2007, there were 1,001 new home lots planned for JISD. Nearly 70 percent of those lots are located in subdivisions in the North Joshua Elementary attendance zone.”

Housing growth is expected to remain steady in the Elder Elementary attendance zone, and activity in the Caddo Grove Elementary attendance zone should pick up around 2010, according to the report. New housing activity in the Staples Elementary and Plumb Creek Elementary zones should be minimal over the next five years.

Based on projections, the district will probably have more than 5,000 students by 2012. Enrollment for the 2007-08 school year is 4,676.

The projected growth in the area is expected, particularly when compared to national trends, Blair said.

“You don’t have to be on top of demography to know that the South is the booming part of the U.S. and will continue to be so,” he said. “That’s especially with what’s happened with the recent housing crisis in the U.S.”

While the East and West Coasts are feeling the effects of increasing home foreclosures, the housing economy in Texas has not been hit nearly as hard, Blair said.

“Now you’re seeing increases in your homes and property values in Joshua ISD that is not nearly like the rest of the world,” he said.

Superintendent Ray Dane thanked the organization for the report, saying it verified his hypothesis about the future of the district.

“Growth is coming, so we can’t rest on our laurels,” Dane said. “We’ve got to press on.”

        

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