EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Empty desks are becoming a defining challenge for El Paso’s largest school districts, with new data showing tens of thousands of unused classroom seats across El Paso ISD, Ysleta ISD and Socorro ISD.<\/p>\n
Across the three districts, nearly 85,000 classroom seats are sitting empty, roughly one out of every three seats.<\/p>\n
Superintendents from all three districts said declining enrollment is not unique to El Paso. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery district across the state and probably across the country are dealing with challenges of decreased enrollment,\u201d said Dr. Brian Lusk, superintendent of El Paso Independent School District.<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cBut districts across the country have this challenge and we’re not unique or different in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julia Spencer reports on school districts enrollment numbers (Credit: KFOX14)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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To understand the scale of the issue, KFOX14\/CBS4 obtained data in March showing each district is operating well below full capacity.<\/p>\n
You can view the data below:El Paso ISD DataYsleta ISD DataSocorro ISD Data<\/p>\n
El Paso ISD is operating at just under 60 percent capacity.<\/p>\n
Lusk said the district has already taken steps in the past. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve had some closures in the past, right? So that’s clear. And we also know that there are some schools that have lower enrollment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ysleta ISD is operating at about 62 percent capacity. <\/p>\n
Dr. Xavier De La Torre, superintendent of Ysleta Independent School District, said the district\u2019s enrollment has been falling for decades. <\/p>\n
\u201cSchool district’s been in a pattern of decline in enrollment for I think the last time that we saw growth was 1987,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Socorro ISD is operating at roughly 74 percent capacity, but Superintendent James Vasquez said the impact is uneven across the district. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have areas of high growth, like Pebble Hills and East lake. A lot of those schools are at or over capacity. But then we have other parts of the district, like Socorro, Montwood, America, El Dorado. Those are declining in enrollment,\u201d Vasquez said. <\/p>\n
He also described a mix of crowded and underused campuses, saying there are \u201csome parts of the district that are over capacity some that are underutilized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vasquez pointed to multiple factors driving the decline. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe do lose students to charter schools and between that and the low birth rate, I think that contributes to the student enrollment decline,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
De La Torre said Ysleta ISD has already reduced its footprint over time. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve gone from having over 60 campuses, 60 schools. Today we have 49 schools. And so we’ve really reduced that excess capacity. And I think we’re pretty close to about as small as we’re going to get as a school district,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n