More than 6,800 students are now enrolled in Dripping Springs ISD, according to district officials in a press release.
At the end of the first week of school, DSISD is serving 6,848 students, which is “very close” to district projections used for planning purposes.
The district is expected to hit the 10,000-student mark in either 2023 or 2024.
DSISD is experiencing a growth rate of 6.6 percent since 2017 and of about 5.6 percent since the end of school in June, according to the release.
Five years ago, at the start of the 2013-14 school year, DSISD enrollment was 5,082. The current projected total would represent an increase of 35 percent from that 2013-14 mark. Ten years ago, total enrollment was 4,141.
Growth in Dripping Springs ISD is expected to continue. The district is expected to hit the 10,000-student mark in either 2023 or 2024.
District officials maintain its $132 million bond measure, which was approved in May and later validated after a challenge in August, addresses student enrollment growth needs.
DSISD by Campus
(as of Aug. 23, 2018)
Dripping Springs Elementary: 822
Rooster Springs Elementary:
821
Sycamore Springs Elementary: 859
Walnut Springs Elementary:
733
Dripping Springs MS:
840
Sycamore Springs MS:
809
Dripping Springs HS:
1,964
Total: 6,848
That includes expansion of Dripping Springs High, which is already over its building capacity of classrooms, which was built for 1,850 students. Dale Whitaker, DSISD communications director, said the common areas of Dripping Springs High were built to accommodate roughly 2,500 students.
The expansion will involve the addition of a classroom and lab wing that will connect with the existing Fine Arts wing and to the school’s automotive technology area.
Other items in the bond package specifically addressing student enrollment growth include the construction of a fifth elementary campus. The location of Elementary No. 5 has not yet been determined; its target date to open is 2021-22.