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Liberty Hill ISD told to expect sustained student growth; two schools planned for 2026
Summary
A Zonda demographic briefing and district presentation forecast continued enrollment growth in Liberty Hill ISD, projects opening an elementary and a middle school in August 2026, and forecasts 900–1,000 net new students next year.
Liberty Hill ISD trustees heard a fourth‑quarter demographic report that projects sustained enrollment growth and recommends capacity planning, including opening two schools in 2026 to meet rising student counts.
Rocky Gardner, a representative from Zonda, told the board the district’s housing pipeline and regional economic indicators support continued student growth: about 1,700 housing starts and almost 2,000 closings in the last 12 months near the district, with thousands of “future lots” in development. Gardner forecasted about 900 to 1,000 additional students next year and said multifamily and single‑family rental projects could add families.
“We’re forecasting growth next year for about a thousand students,” Gardner said. “Annual starts in Liberty Hill are over 1,700; closings approached 2,000 this year.”
District staff said planners are using those projections to time capacity expansions. Mr. Motel (district administrator, identified in the meeting) told trustees the district expects to open one elementary school with capacity for about 1,000 students and one middle school with capacity for about 1,200 in August 2026; Legacy Ranch High School will continue to add grade levels and could flex to 2,600 in coming years.
“I think what you’re going to see is continued growth right around 900 to a thousand students going forward,” Gardner said. District staff noted the need to consider bond capacity, maintenance and operations costs, and timing to avoid opening multiple schools in the same year.
Board members were told a bond sale is scheduled for May 6 and that the district is monitoring its fund balance while funding capital projects. Staff also said a YMCA partnership to provide child care on Fridays was finalized for the 2025–26 school year to support the district’s staff and families when the district’s calendar provides teacher work time.
The demographic presentation advised trustees to account for an 18–24 month lag from ground breaking to seeing students on campus from new subdivisions and recommended continuing long‑range planning for the next five to 10 years.
