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Plano ISD reports 43,905 snapshot enrollment and warns of roughly $17 million budget impact
Summary
Deputy superintendent Johnny Hill told trustees the district’s most recent snapshot showed 43,905 students, down about 2,646 year over year; staff said the variance from budgeted enrollment could mean roughly a $17 million revenue shortfall and that a budget amendment will follow after the snapshot date.
Plano ISD Deputy Superintendent for Business Johnny Hill told the board on Sept. 9 that the district’s most recent enrollment snapshot was 43,905 students, a decline from last year. “As of Friday our numbers were 43,905,” Hill said, and he described continuing daily reconciliation ahead of the official snapshot.
Hill and other staff explained that a portion of the difference comes from so-called code 98 “no-shows” — students who attended at least one day in 2024–25 but did not return — and from demographic changes across grade bands. Hill said the district has recovered many students through outreach but that, as of the report, actual students were down about 2,646 year over year.
District leaders walked trustees through the reconciliation process: campuses are given lists of code-98 students, recovery teams and district staff perform outreach (including home visits carried out in pairs in district vehicles with identification and multilingual door hangers), and campuses recode students when documentation is obtained. “We have our district team that goes out and helps campuses and actually does home visits,” staff explained during the presentation.
Hill flagged the budget consequence of lower-than-budgeted enrollment: staffing and state funding are tied to student counts. He said an average revenue estimate of about $10,000 per student implies that roughly 1,700 additional students below projections could translate to about $17,000,000 in reduced revenue; he told trustees the administration would return after the snapshot date with a proposed budget amendment. “We will come back with you after snapshot and we will reflect that in the form of a budget amendment,” Hill said.
Trustees asked about the demographer used (the district continues to contract with Zonda and is exploring adding an in-house GIS resource) and about targeted marketing and retention strategies. Board members emphasized outreach and marketing to families and noted that program recognitions earlier in the meeting are part of broader efforts to retain and attract students.
Next steps: staff will complete snapshot reconciliation, pursue the recovery work described, and present a recommended budget amendment to the board after the official snapshot is finalized.
