Even as Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is still reeling from the largest enrollment decline in its history, demographers say the district can expect to lose more students over the next decade, signaling a new era for the state’s third-largest school system.
The district in northwest Harris County lost more than 3,200 students in just one year — a decline they had expected to take much longer — and could lose between 4,000 and 8,000 students over the next four years if the trend continues.
Similar enrollment struggles are playing out across the Houston region, Texas and the country. Traditional public schools have seen larger-than-expected declines this year, driven by falling birth rates, more alternative education options, including private school vouchers, and a federal immigration crackdown…