Arlington ISD trustees are considering a virtual school as a potential solution to its declining enrollment.
A report to trustees on April 23 showed the falling birth rates and increasing school choice options could lead to enrollment plateauing around 43,000 students in 2033. A previous report showed the district falling below 50,000 students at the beginning of the next school year.
Currently, the district teaches around 51k students.
Although some trustees are hesitant because of the possible social skill effects, trustee David Wilbanks said a virtual school could help enrollment rebound.
“If we can figure out how to bring those people back into the fold, I think it’s worth exploring,” Wilbanks said.
Virtual schooling is an emerging option that families are interested in, said demographer Rocky Gardiner, who works for the Southlake-based Zonda Education.
“Virtual enrollment, I believe, is becoming a bigger story than even homeschool in some cases,” Gardiner told trustees.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the alternative schooling option has grown as the Texas Legislature passed a law allowing all public schools to create full-time and hybrid virtual campuses. Previously, the Texas Education Agency limited the number of public virtual schools.
Some parts of the state that include districts with a virtual campus have seen enrollment growth, Gardiner said.
Zonda Education data shows four districts with higher enrollment as a result of their virtual school programs in the past three years:
Huntsville ISD: a 2,543-student increase
Hallsville ISD: a 15,651-student increase
Roscoe Collegiate ISD: a 14,329-student increase
Fort Stockton ISD: a 9,613-student increase
Trustee Melody Fowler was cautious when discussing virtual school. She said that students miss out on experiences that shape social skills when they don’t attend a traditional in-person school.
“For the social reasons, I’m just kind of hesitant on that,” Fowler told her colleagues.
Arlington ISD administrators will bring forward a few virtual school options in the coming months, Superintendent Matt Smith said.
Smith said he understands the concerns about virtual schooling, but that the “mode of learning is changing.”
“We have to figure out how to be flexible with the families that are looking for something like (virtual schooling) as well,” Smith said.
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
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