Student services staff told the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board on Aug. 7 that registration is strong ahead of the Aug. 12 first day of school and described how the district is handling pre-kindergarten capacity and transfer requests.
The enrollment presentation reported 21,793 students registered as of Aug. 5, up from 21,499 at the same point a year earlier. Staff said they had processed more than 3,200 transfer applications and that transfer requests remain a fluid queue. The district reported 955 out-of-district transfer requests and 2,336 transfers from one CFB campus to another; 271 transfer requests involved pre-K placements.
Staff described the pre-K placement order required by state law: free pre-K slots are prioritized for children who meet state criteria (8 qualifying categories, including the new teacher-qualifying criterion added in the 80th legislative session), and then tuition-based seats are filled from remaining capacity. Officials said outreach and placement communications have reduced the pre-K waitlist from roughly 560 families on July 21 to under 100 in early August.
To support families on the first day, the district created a hotline (972-968-6500) that will open at 7 a.m. on Aug. 12 for route, schedule and enrollment questions; district and campus staff will staff the line. Student services staff said the district will staff campuses to support a smooth first day and follow a published first-day plan covering enrollment, transportation and attendance procedures.
Why it matters: Enrollment drives staffing, state funding counts (October snapshot) and classroom assignments. Student services emphasized communication and access to help for families navigating bus routes, schedules and registration in the days before school.
Next steps: Student services will continue post-registration outreach, evening registration events and 6-week monitoring of enrollment against budget projections.