“We were losing students, and we wanted to make sure that we maintained the number of teachers and the capacities of our campuses were met,” Dr. David Vinson said.
Photo Courtesy of AP
CROWLEY, Texas — While open enrollment is a new idea for some North Texas school districts, others—like Crowley ISD—have been utilizing it for years, and now more districts are following suit as they compete for students.
In Wylie ISD, for example, open enrollment has been in place since 2011, helping the district reach full capacity in some schools.
“Open enrollment allows students from outside the district to attend our schools, and in return, we receive funding based on their attendance,” said Dr. David Vinson, Superintendent of Wylie ISD.
The key to this strategy is higher average daily attendance (ADA), which directly leads to increased state funding—an essential factor for school districts. As a result, more districts in North Texas are adopting open enrollment programs to attract students and secure additional funding, following the example set by Wylie ISD.
Dr. Vinson explained that the decision to implement open enrollment came about due to a decline in student enrollment and the need to maintain staffing levels and meet capacity demands at schools.
“We were losing students, and we wanted to ensure we kept the right number of teachers and that our campuses were operating at capacity,” Vinson said.
In recent months, districts like McKinney, Frisco, and Castleberry ISD have also introduced open enrollment programs. These programs typically include requirements such as a 90% attendance record from the previous school year, satisfactory grades, and no history of expulsions. Some even have application deadlines to manage the influx of students.
“We’re pushing this out as much as we can in a positive way, hoping it helps us retain students,” Vinson added.
However, some districts are concerned about the potential effects of Governor Greg Abbott’s proposed school voucher program, which is expected to pass during the current legislative session. The program would allow parents to use state funds to send their children to private schools, potentially impacting public school enrollment numbers.
In light of these challenges, Wylie ISD is focusing on showcasing its successes to retain students.
“Since we started this program, we’ve increased SAT scores by 111 points, and we’ve raised the percentage of students going to college from 50% to 81%,” said Vinson. “Our college readiness success is among the best in Texas. Our primary reading scores are also top-notch. But we can’t afford to wait and fall behind. We tell that story every day because it’s critical to our future, and it’s going to play a major role in what happens next—whether we like it or not.”