Event Details
8:30-11:45 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 14, 2026
El Paso Community College Administrative Services Center
9050 Viscount Blvd.
A breakfast buffet and coffee will be provided.
Understanding Today’s Trends. Shaping Tomorrow’s Opportunities.
Population trends influence nearly every aspect of our community — from schools and housing to workforce development and economic opportunity.
El Paso Forward is a summit hosted by El Paso Matters that brings together regional leaders for a morning of thoughtful discussion grounded in data, diverse perspectives and informed dialogue. Through expert presentations and panel discussions, attendees will explore what today’s trends mean for tomorrow’s opportunities in El Paso.
El Paso Forward builds on El Paso Matters’ ongoing reporting about the issues shaping our community. Read some of our recent stories exploring the trends, challenges and opportunities influencing El Paso’s future.
Why El Paso Forward?
The future of El Paso will be shaped by the decisions we make today.
This summit creates a forum where leaders from across business, government, education, healthcare, nonprofits and the broader community can better understand the trends influencing our region, exchange ideas and engage in meaningful dialogue.
Program
Population Trends for El Paso and Texas
The Future of Education
Workforce and Economic Competitiveness
Housing, Affordability and Quality of Life
Become a Founding Partner
Communities move forward through informed conversations.
By sponsoring El Paso Forward, your organization helps create a space where community leaders can examine important trends, exchange perspectives and deepen their understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing El Paso. Proceeds from the summit support El Paso Matters and help sustain strong, independent local news for our community.
If you’re interested in sponsorship, please contact Bill Pitchkolan at billp@elpasomatters.org.
Reserve a Table
Bring your leadership team, clients or colleagues to one of El Paso’s most important community conversations.
Tables seat eight guests and provide an opportunity to engage with regional leaders, strengthen professional relationships and gain insight into the trends shaping our community. Your table purchase also supports El Paso Matters’ nonprofit newsroom and helps sustain strong, independent local news for our community.
Be Part of the Conversation
When you become a founding partner or reserve a table, your participation helps bring together the leaders, ideas and conversations shaping El Paso’s future. And it helps sustain local news for El Paso.
Smaller districts across El Paso County are closing schools and laying off employees as enrollment declines
New Census Bureau estimates show El Paso County lost nearly 12,000 school-age children since 2020, driven by declining birth rates and more families moving away than arriving.
IRS migration data shows El Paso lost more than 8,700 residents from 2021 to 2023, with many moving to areas offering stronger economic opportunities.
El Paso’s population has stagnated over the last decade. But new figures suggest the city’s population may be shifting from a period of stagnation to outright decline.
New U.S. Census estimates show the city of El Paso’s population fell by more than 2,200 people from 2024 to 2025, marking its largest recorded annual decline.
Fewer children and continued outmigration are expected to shrink El Paso’s student population for at least the next decade.
El Paso County’s population fell by just over 2,000 in 2025 as immigration dropped dramatically and long-term demographic trends continued.
Texas’ population grew at a slower pace in 2025 than in previous years, according to new federal data. Nearly 32 million people now live in the state.
Births to El Paso County residents fell again in 2025, continuing a long-term decline that has already affected schools and likely will reshape the region in coming decades.
Ysleta ISD lost more students than expected this year, raising alarms about long-term demographic shifts and budget pressures that leaders say require strategic planning.
An El Paso Water official discusses the sustainability of our water supply, especially as we see trillion-dollar corporations developing big AI data centers in the El Paso area.
New demographic projections show El Paso’s population growth lagging far behind other Texas cities. It’s a slow-moving challenge, but one that can greatly impact the city. Here’s what it could mean.
El Paso County’s population is projected to see little growth through 2060, the slowest increase in more than a century.
It’s back to school time, and hundreds of El Paso ISD elementary students will have to navigate class in new campuses starting Monday after Destination District Redesign closures.
New census data reinforces a trend that is creating upheaval in El Paso County schools
El Paso’s city population has grown by 1% since 2012, when the Army completed its expansion of Fort Bliss.
El Paso Matters education reporter Claudia Silva explains why El Paso school districts are in tight financial situations.
Declining births mean El Paso school enrollment will plummet in coming years, which means school districts may have to look at more school closings – including high schools.