Houston Independent School District lost more than 13,000 students in the two years following the 2023 state takeover, according to a new report from the University of Houston that examines enrollment and staffing trends across the district.
The analysis, conducted through the University of Houston’s Education Research Center, used state administrative data to compare student enrollment and teacher workforce patterns before and after the state assumed control of the district. Researchers found that enrollment declines accelerated after the 2022–23 school year and continued to deepen through the 2024–25 school year.
According to the report, Houston ISD served more than 13,000 fewer students in the 2024–25 school year compared with two years earlier. The study identifies the 2023 state takeover as the point when enrollment losses began to steepen.
Researchers found that many students who left Houston ISD enrolled in nearby school districts or charter schools, while others appear to have exited the Texas public education system altogether. The report notes that these shifts occurred before the introduction of new private school options connected to Senate Bill 2.
The largest enrollment declines occurred in early elementary grades and early high school. Kindergarten, first grade, and ninth grade posted the steepest losses, grades that researchers describe as key transition points when families often make enrollment decisions.
Report co-author Blake Heller said the enrollment patterns suggest that families increasingly choose alternatives outside Houston ISD at key entry grades. He added that the district now serves as an early example of how state management can coincide with enrollment decline and workforce shifts in a large urban school system.
Researchers said they will continue studying how declining enrollment and a less experienced teaching workforce may affect long-term outcomes for students in Houston ISD and potentially other districts facing similar state action.
