Edinburg CISD reports 580‑student year‑to‑date decline; pre‑K losses account for most of drop

Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District staff told trustees on Feb. 21 that the district’s official enrollment count for the 2024–25 school year is down 580 students compared with the same instructional day last year.

Freddy Martinez, the district director presenting the enrollment comparison, said the district total showed a decline of 580 students: a 298‑student decrease at the elementary level and a 282‑student decrease at the secondary level. Martinez said the district had graduated 992 students year‑to‑date, which contributes to the net drop.

Martinez told the board that much of the elementary decline — 233 students — occurred in pre‑K 3 and pre‑K 4. He also said 14 students had withdrawn from the district since the board last met, citing withdrawals to other states and to other countries as examples. “We are looking at the withdrawal reasons ... and adapting and making sure that we do everything we can to let parents know that their students are welcomed here,” Martinez said.

Board members asked for additional breakdowns. President David Torres and trustee Letty Vela asked the administration to include transfer counts on next month’s report so trustees can see how many students moved between campuses by parental request. Trustee Carmen Gonzales asked the administration to add a column showing the number of bilingual‑emerging students per campus so the board can better connect subgroup counts to campus performance.

A district staff member interjected during discussion to clarify the district does not collect or ask for students’ immigration status. “We don't know the immigration status of any student enrolled in the district, nor do we ask for it,” the staff member said. Martinez and board members reiterated that withdrawals include a mix of graduations, mid‑term grads, transfers and families who left the district.

Trustees flagged class sizes in struggling campuses as a linked concern. Gonzales said a fourth‑grade class with more than 20 students will make improvement difficult and asked the board’s curriculum and instruction committee to review targeted supports. Trustees discussed capping class sizes and the district’s efforts to hire bilingual‑certified teachers; Doctor Mario Salinas, the superintendent, said the district is prioritizing bilingual‑certified hires and has made a few recent assignments but noted certified hires remain limited.

Clarifying details provided in the meeting included the districtwide net decrease of 580 students, an elementary decline of 298, a secondary decline of 282, a pre‑K‑3/4 decline of 233 and 14 withdrawals since the last meeting. Trustees asked staff to add campus transfer totals and bilingual‑emergent counts to future reports.

The board did not take formal action on enrollment at this meeting but directed staff to return with the requested breakdowns and follow‑up data at the next report.