There are lots of signs of growth in Denton ISD, and administrators are seeing one they predicted before the start of the 2023-24 school year. Denton ISD has already had to close enrollment in one of the elementary schools in the Braswell zone.
There are seven elementary schools in the Braswell zone: Cross Oaks, Providence, Paloma Creek, Bell, Union Park, Sandbrock Ranch and Savannah.
“Union Park is overflowing to Paloma Creek,” said Denton ISD Deputy Superintendent Susannah O’Bara. “There are over 800 students. As a matter of fact I think they were close to 900 if not already over 900. Today, they’re over their functional capacity and we’re over flowing them to Paloma Creek.”
O’Bara said Sandbrock Ranch Elementary is also already over its functional capacity, meaning most or all classrooms are at capacity, which is determined by the state.
“We’ve tried to close a couple of grade levels there,” O’Bara said. “They will also be able to overflow to Paloma Creek and/or Savannah.”
The district is keeping tabs on enrollments at Cross Oaks and Providence elementary schools as well, with administrators working to keep classes in compliance.
“Providence will have to close a grade level or two this week, and we are prepared to overflow Providence,” O’Bara said.
The administration wasn’t taken by surprise when it saw enrollments surge to capacity at the campuses, and the 2023 bond election will fund the construction of the district’s 26th and 27th elementary schools in the Braswell attendance zone. The Braswell zone is the attendance zone experiencing the most growth, with both commercial and residential developments booming along the U.S. Highway 380 corridor.
Superintendent Jamie Wilson said the anticipated growth has included some slowdowns, but the district forecast the need for more elementary school campuses, with four new schools scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.
“Quite often, you will you’ll hear our demographers talking about things ... speeding up and slowing down,” Wilson said. “So we have traditionally sped up or slowed down based upon the growth within the district, and how those things work together. When you when you hear the grade levels were closed in those two areas, that’s where those elementary schools that are slated to be opening in 2024 will be.”
Enrollment
O’Bara said that as of Tuesday afternoon, 32,479 students had completed the registration process to enroll at home campuses.
Freshmen went to their high school campuses on Wednesday, gathering at Denton, Ryan, Guyer and Braswell high schools for orientation and to locate their classes. The rest of the students begin classes Thursday.
“Each of those events will continue to generate more enrollment, more registrations,” O’Bara said.
Two days before classes began last year, there were 400 fewer students enrolled at Denton ISD campuses. The administration expects enrollment to increase through the first two months of the school year.
“From two days before [school] to about 60 days into the school year last year, we increased by about 500 students,” O’Bara said. “So if we were to apply this — those exact same metrics — we’d be up close to 33,000 in 60 days. So that’s good news.”
