Houston ISD is working to win back students after losing roughly 15,000 immediately after COVID and another 8,300 this year, totaling more than 16,000 over two years. Officials blame a combination of school-choice competition, increased homeschooling, declining birth rates, rising housing costs and concentrated poverty — even as the district points to recent academic gains and strong teacher retention. New state and federal school-choice policies, including a $1 billion Texas Education Savings Account program, have intensified competition for students.
Houston ISD Seeks to Win Back Families After Major Enrollment Decline Amid Rising School Choice
Houston skyline.(iStock)
Houston Independent School District (HISD) is mounting efforts to reclaim students after a steep enrollment decline that accelerated following the COVID-19 pandemic. Superintendent Mike Miles and district officials point to a mix of competition from charter schools and homeschools, shifting demographics, and economic pressures as drivers of the losses — even as the district highlights recent academic gains and strong teacher retention.
Enrollment Trends and Impact
HISD oversees 274 campuses and serves roughly 184,109 students. Officials say the district lost about 15,000 students immediately after the pandemic and a further 8,300 students this year, bringing the two-year total to more than 16,000 students, according to district documents and reporting by the Houston Chronicle.
“If you look at the national statistics, a lot of places have experienced enrollment loss. In Houston, right after COVID, this district lost 15,000 kids that didn't come back,” Superintendent Mike Miles told Fox News Digital.
What the District Is Doing and Claiming
HISD emphasizes recent academic progress and teacher retention as reasons for optimism. The district reports that it has more than doubled the number of A- and B-rated schools in two years and that a high share of effective teachers are returning: more than 84% of teachers rated Proficient I or above, and 89% of teachers rated Exemplary I returned for the 2025–2026 school year.
Why Students Are Leaving
District leaders and spokespeople say there is no single cause for the decline. Contributing factors identified include increased competition from charter schools and other school-choice options, a rise in homeschooling since the pandemic, lower birth rates affecting early-grade enrollments, rising housing costs and related mobility, and concentrated poverty in parts of the city.
“The biggest loss in enrollment was pre-K, first and second grade,” Miles said, noting that falling birth rates and shifting demographics are affecting younger cohorts. He also pointed to economic stressors that disproportionately affect families with fewer resources.
Policy Changes and Broader Context
State and federal policy changes have amplified competition. Texas recently launched an Education Savings Account program with an initial $1 billion investment, and federal actions — including a federal tax-credit scholarship initiative — have expanded school-choice options nationwide. Critics, including teachers’ unions, argue that such programs divert per-pupil funding from traditional public schools, making it harder for districts to improve pay, facilities and staffing.
Outlook
HISD says it aims to regain students who left for charter, private, virtual, or homeschool options by continuing to improve academic outcomes and marketing its strengths. District leaders acknowledge the challenges are complex and multifaceted and that reversing the trend will require sustained strategies addressing both academic quality and broader economic and demographic pressures.
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