CFBISD presents proposed attendance-zone changes; district sets transfer and registration windows

District staff presented proposed attendance-zone and feeder-pattern changes to the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees, showing an interactive web tool that details how specific neighborhoods and addresses would be assigned under the proposal. The presentation emphasized that most campuses would be affected and that the tool identifies which students remain at their current campus and which would move to a new campus under the proposal.

The presenter explained the district expects all students to register at their resident (home) campus when online registration opens in April; families who wish to remain at a nonresident campus will be asked to submit transfer requests. The district said out-of-district transfer applications will be accepted beginning in March and that all transfer applications open April 1. The presenter also said capacity and enrollment caps will shape final approvals.

Staff walked trustees through examples by feeder pattern and neighborhood: the tool lists impacted subdivisions and the receiving campuses by address, including elementary, middle and high school assignments. Presenters said transportation to certain programs (dual language, GT/enrichment, designated special education placements and pre-K where the home campus lacks pre-K) will continue to be provided based on program needs and capacity.

Trustees raised questions about grandfathering students already attending nonresident campuses, especially for middle-school transitions. Staff said the district has discussed limited grandfathering: for example, some elementary fourth-graders entering fifth grade and their siblings would be grandfathered for the near term, but blanket grandfathering for every grade level is not feasible because of space constraints and capacity planning. Staff emphasized the need for clearer, user-facing guidance about registration, transfer steps and the timing of notifications.

Staff told the board the district will provide personalized letters and messages to families impacted by the changes, plus welcoming messages from principals to new zones; the district targeted completing those communications before spring break. Trustees asked staff to refine transfer and registration procedures and clarify the process for families already on transfers so those families understand whether they must reapply.

The board did not take a formal vote; staff said the proposal is in a development phase and will be finalized after additional stakeholder input and administrative review.