<\/p>\n
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles goes over his slides during a school board meeting at Hattie Mae White Education Center in Houston on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston ISD is cutting staff<\/a>, reassigning employees and reducing campus budgets\u00a0after steep enrollment declines so far this school year.<\/p>\n HISD reported just over 155,600 students enrolled as of Sept. 4, which is a drop of nearly 10,000 students from September 2025, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. \u00a0<\/p>\n Texas public schools will not count their official enrollment until\u00a0Oct. 31<\/a>, and HISD\u2019s student population typically grows between the start of school and then. But the early decline points to a tight financial year for the district, which expected to lose only 4,000 students \u2014 or $50 million in funding<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 this school year. The state funds public schools based on attendance, so declining enrollment in\u00a0HISD and other districts creates financial pressure.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n HISD had 9,691 fewer students on Sept. 4 than on Sept. 5, 2025, according to district records. That represents a nearly 6% drop in enrollment.<\/p>\n HISD\u00a0said in a statement Tuesday that\u00a0the enrollment losses are part of broader financial challenges facing the district and other public schools across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have worked hard over the last three years to put HISD on stronger financial footing while putting more resources into classrooms and increasing teacher pay,\u201d state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles said in a press release.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cBut we also have to adjust when enrollment and revenues change. We have to make responsible decisions now so the District remains financially strong and can continue investing in the things that have the greatest impact on student achievement,” he said. “We are hopeful the next legislative session will provide additional funding for Texas public schools.”<\/p>\n FROZEN FUNDS: HISD promised more autonomy. One magnet school says it’s been ‘completely iced out’ of its funding<\/a><\/p>\n Enrollment declines<\/p>\n It\u2019s typical for a district\u2019s student count to gradually increase after the first day of school until it reaches peak enrollment sometime between the end of September and mid-October, said University of Houston clinical associate professor Duncan Klussmann.\u00a0<\/p>\n For example, in 2025, HISD\u2019s enrollment climbed by around 3,500 students from Sept. 5 to Oct. 31, 2025.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But this year’s count could point to steeper declines \u2014 and tighter budgets \u2014 than the district\u2019s original projections, Klussmann said. He said they also point to nationwide trends as school districts grapple with charter schools, more school choice options and lower birth rates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas is one of 40 states expected to lose student enrollment\u00a0by the 2030-31 school year, which could lead to annual losses of $11.5 billion in state revenues, according to a June 2026 report from education nonprofits Bellwether and WestEd.<\/p>\n But HISD\u2019s enrollment declines have been outpacing other large districts in Texas. They have accelerated since the state takeover began in June 2023, and enrollment declines are more pronounced at campuses within Miles\u2019 reform model.<\/p>\n HISD enrolled 168,800 students in the 2025-26 school year, a loss of 4.5% of its students from the previous year. The district had 189,290 students in 2022-23, the last school year before the takeover.<\/p>\n MORE NEWS: Fired HISD veteran teacher alleges discrimination and retaliation in federal court filing<\/a><\/p>\n Annual staff ‘leveling’ and budget cuts<\/p>\n Every year, HISD reassigns and cuts staff to make sure staffing levels match school enrollment. But that process, called “leveling,” is happening earlier than previous years, according to Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n She said it was difficult to understand how the district expected to lose 4,000 students, but hired so many teachers that it is now cutting and reassigning people from its 22,300-employee workforce.<\/p>\n Anderson questioned why the district continued to hold hiring fairs and hired to the extent it did.\u00a0The district touted that it had only five teacher vacancies at the beginning of the school year, according to an Aug. 12 statement.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m concerned for teachers now because they were promised jobs,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThey expected to be working for the entire year, at a minimum. And now they are being told that they don\u2019t have a job, which indicates to me that there was some poor management on\u00a0HISD\u2019s part.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, HISD cut 160 teachers and reassigned\u00a0232 others<\/a> during its annual leveling process. The Houston Chronicle has asked the district how many teachers are being reassigned and cut this year. HISD did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n OVERHAUL: HISD says its controversial special education overhaul is showing results after just 5 weeks<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Campus cuts<\/p>\n Some campuses are seeing cuts despite little change to their enrollment. By Sept. 4,\u00a0T. H. Rogers School had almost reached its official enrollment of about 1,100 students in 2025-26.\u00a0<\/p>\n CABINET:\u00a0HISD’s Chief of Staff leaves, district’s second cabinet member departure in a month<\/a><\/p>\n But on Monday, campus leaders told parents that they had lost their librarian and an assistant principal. The popular K-8 school near the Galleria is the district’s only middle school that serves almost entirely Vanguard, or gifted and talented, students.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that staffing changes can be difficult for a school community, including me, particularly when they involve valued members of our team,\u201d Principal Suparna Vashisht said in a statement to parents. \u201cAs we work through this process, our priority remains to ensure students continue to receive high-quality instruction and have access to the services, support and programs we offer at Rogers.\u201d<\/p>\n Lamar High School faces budget cuts worth more than $500,000, due to issues with districtwide enrollment and property tax revenues, according to a recent message to families. The school can no longer afford several employees, and all but one were contracted employees designated for reassignment in the district.<\/p>\n “When a position becomes available, the position at Lamar will be closed and the employee will be transferred to another campus,” Principal Rita Graves said in a statement to the Lamar community. “You will be notified over the course of the year as these programs or support services are reduced or phased out at Lamar.”\u00a0<\/p>\n